ASPREE-D; Aspirin In The Prevention Of Depression In The Elderly
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,784.00
Summary
The ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) study is a 5 year RCT of aspirin (100mg daily) or placebo in 19,000 healthy people over 70. We aim to augment the existing infrastructure of ASPREE in order to confirm the utility of aspirin for the prevention of depression in the elderly (ASPREE-D). The primary aim of ASPREE-D is to determine if use of low-dose aspirin reduces the incidence of de-novo episodes of depression in healthy individuals over 70 years of age.
Preventing Early Academic Problems By Improving Working Memory: Translational Randomised Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$831,085.00
Summary
Learning difficulties are common and can cause school failure and poor self-esteem. They are associated with specific problems with temporarily remembering and using information (‘working memory’). Research suggests that improving working memory might improve academic achievement. We will study this intervention in a large group of primary school children who have poor working memory. If successful, the intervention will provide a way to improve the learning skills of these high-risk children.
Prevention Of Asthma In Young Children Via Immunostimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$679,683.00
Summary
Persistent asthma is a major problem for Australia yet none of the current therapies do more that control the condition. The long-term solution is to prevent asthma from progressing to the persistent form. The major risk factors are: family history, early allergy and recurrent severe lower respiratory infections (sLRI) in the early life. We will conduct a randomized clinical trial to prevent sLRI using a novel bacterial-derived immunostimulant in infants at high risk of developing asthma.
Preventing Mental Health Problems In Children: A Population-based Cluster Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,133.00
Summary
14% of Australian children develop mental health problems. As treatment is time and cost intensive, prevention is the ideal model. This can be targeted to ‘at risk’ children, but may stigmatise families and have poor uptake. This project aims to trial whether a population targeted approach embedded in universal prevention performs better than targeted prevention alone, with each approach compared to ‘usual care’. The local and state government partners will ensure sustainability, policy relevanc ....14% of Australian children develop mental health problems. As treatment is time and cost intensive, prevention is the ideal model. This can be targeted to ‘at risk’ children, but may stigmatise families and have poor uptake. This project aims to trial whether a population targeted approach embedded in universal prevention performs better than targeted prevention alone, with each approach compared to ‘usual care’. The local and state government partners will ensure sustainability, policy relevance and uptake if effectiveRead moreRead less
Missing girls: From childhood runaways to criminalised women. This study examines the link between girls declared ‘missing’ and their trajectory into the criminal justice system, expanding the Australian knowledge base along with providing a clear, tangible practice framework to prevent the drift into youth and adult criminal justice systems. By addressing concerns of practitioners and policy makers this significant research increases the visibility of a marginalised groups, exploring individual ....Missing girls: From childhood runaways to criminalised women. This study examines the link between girls declared ‘missing’ and their trajectory into the criminal justice system, expanding the Australian knowledge base along with providing a clear, tangible practice framework to prevent the drift into youth and adult criminal justice systems. By addressing concerns of practitioners and policy makers this significant research increases the visibility of a marginalised groups, exploring individual and systemic impacts of missing girls entering the criminal justice and welfare systems. Findings of this research will detail opportunities for early intervention for service providers in addition to rich empirical data to better inform policy makers and service developers targeting at risk young people. Read moreRead less
The Central Australian Heart Protection Study: A Randomised Trial Of Nurse-Led, Family Based Secondary Prevention Of Acute Coronary Syndromes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,923,630.00
Summary
Despite the high burden of cardiovascular diseases among Indigenous Australians, few intervention trials have sought to evaluate novel approaches to reducing differential outcomes in this vulnerable group. The Central Australian Heart Protection Study seeks to test the effectiveness of a nurse-led, family based education and assessment program in reducing the incidence of poor outcomes in indigenous and non-indigenous patient’s following an Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Exercise Programs For Preventing Knee Injuries
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,160,491.00
Summary
The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Common ....The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. It is imperative that we formally evaluate the effectiveness of sports injury countermeasures in the context of broad community level participation in sport, in contrast to previous research focussed on professional sport, and begin to deliver the preventive measures to the community. Australian football is a popular sport throughout Australia and it is associated with more medically-treated injuries than any other sport. Knee injuries are particularly common and can have severe consequences. One of the most commonly recommended knee injury prevention strategies is a well-designed exercise training program. Despite their potential to significantly reduce injury rates, the effectiveness of exercise training programs to prevent knee injuries in football, and indeed in most other sports, has not previously been assessed but has been identified as a priority research area by the NHMRC. This project will determine the effectiveness of exercise training programs for preventing knee injuries in community-level football players by monitoring injury rates, player behaviours and player attitudes before and after the training programs are implemented.Read moreRead less
Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial Of Aspirin In Primary Prevention Of CVD Events Or Dementia In The Aged.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,532,500.00
Summary
The single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age. All men aged 75 years have a 10-15% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 5 years. Low dose aspirin has been shown to prevent further strokes and heart attacks in people who have already had one. It has been also shown to protect people who have not had a heart attack or stroke but who are at increased risk. Given that the elderly are at increased risk why do we need to do a trial in this particular group? The ....The single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age. All men aged 75 years have a 10-15% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 5 years. Low dose aspirin has been shown to prevent further strokes and heart attacks in people who have already had one. It has been also shown to protect people who have not had a heart attack or stroke but who are at increased risk. Given that the elderly are at increased risk why do we need to do a trial in this particular group? The reason is that relatively few elderly patients were included in the previous prevention trials. Also while the elderly may have the most to gain from treatment, they also have the most to lose because they are more likely to suffer from side-effects. Aspirin prevents heart attacks by stopping clots forming in blood vessels. This also means that people taking it have an increased tendency to bleed. Thus though it may prevent strokes due to clots it may also increase the risk of strokes caused by bleeding. Bleeding from the gut is another major problem as aspirin tends to erode the lining of the stomach. Minor bleeding from the gut can also lower blood oxygen carrying capacity which may exacerbate other diseases associated with ageing, e.g. heart failure. Dementia may be caused by repeated clots in small or large vessels. Dementia is a particular problem in the elderly affecting 10% of 85 year olds. It is a major cause of loss of quality of life and a significant cost to the community. Aspirin may reduce the progression of such a disease leading to a maintained quality of life (QOL) for individuals and their families. As our age increases our years of life remaining decreases. This is self-evident. Thus the potential to add years to life reduces and the potential of diseases to adversely affect quality of life becomes more important. Thus it may be more important to prevent a nonfatal stroke that leads to institutionalisation than a fatal stroke. Hence QOL will be assessed.Read moreRead less
Building an integrated system for Australian bushfire prevention. Building an integrated system for Australian bushfire prevention. This project aims to develop a comprehensive approach to prevent arson. Bushfires are a serious issue in Australia, made worse by climate change; since most of these fires are started by people, it is important to prevent arson. Building on previous work, this project intends to improve community responses, and build a model to predict risk and improve data sharing. ....Building an integrated system for Australian bushfire prevention. Building an integrated system for Australian bushfire prevention. This project aims to develop a comprehensive approach to prevent arson. Bushfires are a serious issue in Australia, made worse by climate change; since most of these fires are started by people, it is important to prevent arson. Building on previous work, this project intends to improve community responses, and build a model to predict risk and improve data sharing. The intended outcome is an all-risks approach to arson prevention and community engagement. This research should reduce the incidence of arson in Australia, and also be useful overseas.Read moreRead less
The Centre for Research Excellence in Nursing Interventions for Hospitalised Patients will provide evidence to improve the nursing care of a broad range of hospitalised patients who are at risk of complications related to compromised skin integrity and poor pain/anxiety management. Systematic reviews and clinical trials will provide the basis for developing clinical practice guidelines to assist nurses in providing high quality care to the 3.5 million Australians admitted to hospital each year.