Promoting Protective Feeding Practices To Prevent Childhood Obesity: Follow Up Of A Successful Obesity Prevention Program Commencing In Infancy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$846,965.00
Summary
Almost one in four Australian children are overweight by the time they start school and at increased risk of becoming overweight adults. This study will evaluate if an intervention to equip parents with the confidence and skills to initiate and maintain positive early feeding practices can foster healthy food preferences, dietary intakes and eating patterns and growth up to five years of age. This is consistent with government focus on early childhood as the foundation for health and well-being.
Physical Activity And Nutrition For Seniors (PANS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,956.00
Summary
Research has shown that participation in physical activity and the consumption of a healthy diet for older people can produce significant health benefits. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a low cost, accessible, sustainable and replicable, home based physical activity and nutrition program for older people aged 55 to 70 that will ultimately reduce chronic disease (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), and improve mental health.
Advancing Obesity Prevention And Control In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,678.00
Summary
This Fellow will make a significant contribution to the science of childhood obesity prevention. By interrogating high quality data from successful community based interventions the Fellow will identify key systemic components for effective chronic disease prevention. This information will then inform the evaluation of the $80m multiple community Victorian Prevention Community Model involving >25% of the State’s population.
Improving Cardiac Rehabilitation In Victoria, Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$107,204.00
Summary
This PhD project will identify the key mechanisms for successful scale-up and sustainability of a community based diabetes prevention program - the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program (NHMRC Project ID 1005324). Based in India where diabetes is becoming increasingly common, these findings have global relevance. Findings will add to crucial evidence gaps in how to systematically scale-up effective prevention programs in order to maximise public health impact.
Estimating The Contribution Of Adolescent Alcohol Misuse Prevention To The Reduction Of Alcohol-related Harm In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,813,958.00
Summary
This project will extend an existing national randomised trial (comparing 14 intervention and 14 control communities) to complete a novel evaluation of the longer-term benefits of community-based adolescent alcohol use prevention to reduce population rates of adolescent alcohol use by at least 15%. The project will have significant policy implications in being the first to measure the health, social and economic benefits that flow from reducing population rates of adolescent alcohol use.
An Intervention To Improve The Nutrition And Physical Activity Behaviours In Mothers With Young Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,780.00
Summary
The aim of the project is to develop, implement and evaluate a six-month community based intervention that will improve the nutrition and physical activity behaviours of mothers with young children. As mothers are a major influence among the family, an intervention that successfully improves physical activity and nutrition behaviours will also impact on behaviours of the whole family making it a 'whole family' approach.
A Randomised Trial Assessing A Shade Development Intervention In Secondary Schools For Adolescent Skin Cancer Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$709,615.00
Summary
Skin cancer is a significant burden to health costs, and morbidity and mortality in Australia. Reduction of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in sunlight, particularly during childhood and adolescence is an important strategy for preventing skin cancer in later life. Adolescents have been particularly resistant to skin cancer prevention messages. Despite a high knowledge of skin cancer, the majority of Australian adolescents report a reliance on sunscreen, a resistance to hat wearing, and ....Skin cancer is a significant burden to health costs, and morbidity and mortality in Australia. Reduction of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in sunlight, particularly during childhood and adolescence is an important strategy for preventing skin cancer in later life. Adolescents have been particularly resistant to skin cancer prevention messages. Despite a high knowledge of skin cancer, the majority of Australian adolescents report a reliance on sunscreen, a resistance to hat wearing, and commonly experience sunburn, an important indicator of increased risk of skin cancer. Psycho-social interventions have shown limited influence on adolescents' sun protective behaviours to date. The current research proposal explores an alternative approach to psycho-social interventions for adolescents. The study will assess the effect of increasing available shade at secondary schools. In a randomised control trial study design, the change in the number of students using certain outdoor areas at intervention schools will be observed 'before' and 'after' the installation of built shade sail structures. Our main hypothesis states that the number of students using these newly shaded areas in intervention schools will increase compared with use of equivalent unshaded areas in control schools. Shade development is increasingly becoming an issue for secondary schools and given both the high cost of providing shade structures and adolescents' resistance to other forms of sun protection it is important to establish that adolescents will use this form of sun protection. This study will determine whether adolescents actively avoid or seek shade and so provide evidence for informing decisions about further investment in shade provision in schools.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness Of An Early Intervention Trial To Prevent Obesity - Phase 2: Follow-up And Cost Effectiveness Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,690.00
Summary
Internationally, Healthy Beginnings Trial (HBT) is the first randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an early childhood obesity intervention in 0-2 year olds. It is a home-based early intervention designed to improve family and behavioural risk factors for childhood obesity. We seek funding for conducting the follow-up to ages 3.5 and 5 years, and a cost-effectiveness analysis. This will permit the appropriate assessment of this internationally novel trial, which has already att ....Internationally, Healthy Beginnings Trial (HBT) is the first randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an early childhood obesity intervention in 0-2 year olds. It is a home-based early intervention designed to improve family and behavioural risk factors for childhood obesity. We seek funding for conducting the follow-up to ages 3.5 and 5 years, and a cost-effectiveness analysis. This will permit the appropriate assessment of this internationally novel trial, which has already attracted a significant investment.Read moreRead less
Kidskin: An Intervention To Reduce Sun Exposure In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,775.00
Summary
Melanoma is an important public health problem in Australia. Almost all melanoma is caused by exposure to sunlight, and childhood exposure appears to be particularly important. Thus, if we can reduce childhood exposure, we should ultimately be able to reduce the incidence of melanoma. Despite nation-wide campaigns such as SunSmart, children in Australia still get too much sun exposure. The school offers an ideal opportunity for implementing sun-safety campaigns in children. In 1995, we began the ....Melanoma is an important public health problem in Australia. Almost all melanoma is caused by exposure to sunlight, and childhood exposure appears to be particularly important. Thus, if we can reduce childhood exposure, we should ultimately be able to reduce the incidence of melanoma. Despite nation-wide campaigns such as SunSmart, children in Australia still get too much sun exposure. The school offers an ideal opportunity for implementing sun-safety campaigns in children. In 1995, we began the Kidskin study, which aims to develop, implement and test a school-based program to reduce sun exposure. Preliminary data from the study show that we successfully reduced exposure. However, we are not certain that we have reduced their risk of melanoma. To see if we have reduced the risk of melanoma, we are counting the children's moles. Moles are strongly related to melanoma, and are our best way of measuring actual risk of melanoma. If we are successful, it will be the first time anyone has shown that reducing exposure to sunlight during childhood will lead to a reduction in the incidence of melanoma in later life.Read moreRead less
Helping Women Meet Their Activity Goals: Randomised Trial Of A Personalised Program Delivered By Mobile Telephone
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,346.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australian women, but is less likely among women who are active. Because women are less active than men, and women with young children are the least active of all, we developed a program to increase postnatal women's physical activity. Women in the pilot study reported high program satisfaction and more physical activity, because the program focused on them (not their kids) and helped them prioritise time for physical activity.