Networks, neighbourhoods and newborns: defining household and local area influences on social connectedness, to understand pathways to health. Being socially connected is good for your health, but why? This project will compare social connections in Boroondara and Hume, to explore the influence of neighbourhoods on networks. With this information the project will consider potential pathways to better health outcomes, needed by agencies working to promote neighbourhood connectedness and health.
Psychosocial and economic impacts of rare diseases on Australian children, families and health professionals. Rare childhood diseases have enormous impacts on children and families; health services, and health professionals. This project will enable Australia to lead the international research effort by using a coordinated approach to study the impacts of rare diseases in order to improve psychosocial, health and economic outcomes for children and families.
Risk Of Hepatitis C Reinfection Among People With Current Injecting Drug Use Following Successful HCV Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,245,228.00
Summary
In Australia, hepatitis C (HCV)-related morbidity and mortality are rising. One of the most important recent breakthroughs in clinical medicine is the approval of safe, simple, interferon-free HCV therapies with cure rates >95%. Although people who inject drugs account for the majority of new and existing cases of HCV, reinfection following treatment can occur. The goal of this Project Grant is to examine HCV treatment and reinfection following successful therapy among people who inject drugs ....In Australia, hepatitis C (HCV)-related morbidity and mortality are rising. One of the most important recent breakthroughs in clinical medicine is the approval of safe, simple, interferon-free HCV therapies with cure rates >95%. Although people who inject drugs account for the majority of new and existing cases of HCV, reinfection following treatment can occur. The goal of this Project Grant is to examine HCV treatment and reinfection following successful therapy among people who inject drugs.Read moreRead less
M-SAKHI : Mobile Health Solutions To Help Community Providers Promote Maternal And Infant Nutrition And Health - A Community-based Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial In Rural India
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,379,427.00
Summary
The proposed research will examine the impact of the mobile phone counselling on child feeding practices, & undernutrition & cognitive development in a rural setting in India. The study aims to collect high-level evidence of whether mobile phone counselling about nutrition in pregnancy, and child feeding, directed at pregnant women and mothers in rural India will i) reduce low birthweight, ii) improve infant & child feeding, and iii) reduce child undernutrition at 24 months.
Respiratory infections are common in children during the first two years of life, where they may experience six to eight infections each year. Complications are common, and between 3-5% of all infants are hospitalised. Available information on children has largely come from hospitalised patients. Information about illness in and cost to the community is scarce. To this aim, a cohort of children will be followed from birth to two. Information about infections and their cost will be recorded and a ....Respiratory infections are common in children during the first two years of life, where they may experience six to eight infections each year. Complications are common, and between 3-5% of all infants are hospitalised. Available information on children has largely come from hospitalised patients. Information about illness in and cost to the community is scarce. To this aim, a cohort of children will be followed from birth to two. Information about infections and their cost will be recorded and analysed.Read moreRead less
School Versus Community-based Albendazole Deworming For Control Of Soil Transmitted Helminths In School-age Children In The Philippines – A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,336,408.00
Summary
Intestinal parasites are a global health problem. The World Health Organization recommends regular distribution of deworming drugs, targeting school aged children. This is effective for the children receiving the drugs but does not have an impact in the wider community. We aim to determine the best strategy for delivery of deworming drugs, to achieve the maximum benefit both for children and wider community, by directly comparing the benefits of a school-targeted vs a community-mass approach.
Determinants of children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a follow-up study from early childhood. This project investigates changes in preschool children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and influences on these changes, during the important period of transition to school. It will provide important information on how we might assist children to be more active, thereby avoiding the detrimental health and social outcomes of inactivity.
20 Year Study Of Skin Cancer In A Queensland Community
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,415.00
Summary
Skin cancers are by far the commonest cancers diagnosed in Australia. Even though it is known that sun exposure in excess causes skin cancers there are complexities about the causes, especially of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) -the major type of skin cancer- that are still not understood. Relative intensity of sun exposure and perhaps its timing with respect to age in life may well be critical factors. We aim to study these causes in very great detail by collating information that has been gathered ....Skin cancers are by far the commonest cancers diagnosed in Australia. Even though it is known that sun exposure in excess causes skin cancers there are complexities about the causes, especially of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) -the major type of skin cancer- that are still not understood. Relative intensity of sun exposure and perhaps its timing with respect to age in life may well be critical factors. We aim to study these causes in very great detail by collating information that has been gathered over a 20 year period in a community-based skin cancer study in Nambour, Qld as well as performing some laboratory tests on skin cancer tissue collected from participants. This 3-year project will enable the full realisation of the potential of this esource-20 years in the making- with its wealth of information for answering questions about skin cancer decelopment and preventability. It should finally provide us with a clearer rationale for 'prevention of skin cancer' than is currently available. In addition we shall assess the costs of treatment of skin cancer in general and for the individual, and how much preventive practices for skin cancer might save the health budget, by using the releavnt data collected from this community sample.Read moreRead less
The Role Of EBV And HHV-6 Infection In Demyelinating Disease With A Consideration Of Past UVR Exposure.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$305,800.00
Summary
The marked increase in immune disorders over the past fifty years is thought to reflect modern environmental and lifestyle factors, rather than changes in diagnosis. The hypothesis that has the most evidence to support it is the 'hygiene hypothesis'. That is, that a reduction in early life infection among modern children leads to immune system dysfunction and thus an increase in immune disorders. Delayed child infection, particularly of Epstein-Barr Virus has been prospectively linked to multipl ....The marked increase in immune disorders over the past fifty years is thought to reflect modern environmental and lifestyle factors, rather than changes in diagnosis. The hypothesis that has the most evidence to support it is the 'hygiene hypothesis'. That is, that a reduction in early life infection among modern children leads to immune system dysfunction and thus an increase in immune disorders. Delayed child infection, particularly of Epstein-Barr Virus has been prospectively linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. This project aims to document the role of herpes virus (EBV, HHV-6) infection in the onset of first demyelinating events, a precursor to MS. The strength of this proposal is that it lies within an existing study framework - the Ausimmune Study, allowing detailed exploration of related associations with latitude, early life infant contact and past sun exposure. The incidence of MS has doubled from 1.2-100,000 to 2.4-100,000 from 1961 to 1996 in Newcastle, Australia. Although incidence is low, the disease has a median age of first onset of 24 years and progresses to serious disability even with immunomodulatory therapy (50% will need assistance in walking within 13 years) thus the current prevalence of 1 per 1,000 adults in Tasmania and 0.8 per 1,000 in Newcastle represent a serious burden of morbidity.Read moreRead less
Child health and developmental inequities: Evidence for precision policy. The project aims to use cutting edge analytic approaches applied to existing data to identify how policy interventions related to parents’ mental health, preschool programs, and the built environment can be optimised to reduce inequities in children’s mental, academic, and physical health outcomes. The project will be informed by our partners and advisers from across government portfolios and service delivery, ensuring tha ....Child health and developmental inequities: Evidence for precision policy. The project aims to use cutting edge analytic approaches applied to existing data to identify how policy interventions related to parents’ mental health, preschool programs, and the built environment can be optimised to reduce inequities in children’s mental, academic, and physical health outcomes. The project will be informed by our partners and advisers from across government portfolios and service delivery, ensuring that the evidence generated has contemporary policy relevance. The project expects to identify clear and actionable policy pathways to reduce child inequities in Australia, which can benefit decision makers by helping them to direct limited public funds towards intervention opportunities that will have the greatest impact.Read moreRead less