Preventing mental health problems in children: a population-based cluster controlled trial. The National Mental Health Survey (2000) found 1 in 7 children have externalising (aggression) and internalising (anxiety, depression) problems. Early mental health problems beget later problems with high costs to society, including clinical, remedial education and criminal justice services. Hence, early prevention is vital for national well-being and productivity. The few preventive early childhood progr ....Preventing mental health problems in children: a population-based cluster controlled trial. The National Mental Health Survey (2000) found 1 in 7 children have externalising (aggression) and internalising (anxiety, depression) problems. Early mental health problems beget later problems with high costs to society, including clinical, remedial education and criminal justice services. Hence, early prevention is vital for national well-being and productivity. The few preventive early childhood programs to date are limited in effectiveness and not truly population-based. The proposed parenting / family support trial aims to overcome these obstacles, by comparing and costing two approaches that can be implemented within whole communities. The trial will help clarify optimal primary care to prevent mental health problems early in life.Read moreRead less
Cluster randomised control trial of an early childhood literacy intervention to improve literacy and language outcomes in preschool aged children. Reading failure disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities in Australia, with nearly 40% of poor children failing to read at the minimum reading benchmark in Grade three. Of more concern is the disturbing trend indicating that prior to first grade, socioeconomic status (SES) differences also exist in important antecedents of reading such as ....Cluster randomised control trial of an early childhood literacy intervention to improve literacy and language outcomes in preschool aged children. Reading failure disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities in Australia, with nearly 40% of poor children failing to read at the minimum reading benchmark in Grade three. Of more concern is the disturbing trend indicating that prior to first grade, socioeconomic status (SES) differences also exist in important antecedents of reading such as letter knowledge and phonological processing skills, yet there remains no universal program to promote early language and literacy practices in the primary care setting. We propose a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a multi injection intervention to improve literacy outcomes of children in disadvantaged communities.Read moreRead less
Staff communication in aged care facilities: a key factor in delivering resident-focused care. Australia's ageing population makes quality of aged care a national priority. This study examines the proposed crux of quality care: communication structures and processes between staff. In collaboration with our industry partners, Blue Care, TriCare and Aged Care Queensland, the first phase of the study describes the structures and processes for effective communication in Aged Care Facilities (ACF's). ....Staff communication in aged care facilities: a key factor in delivering resident-focused care. Australia's ageing population makes quality of aged care a national priority. This study examines the proposed crux of quality care: communication structures and processes between staff. In collaboration with our industry partners, Blue Care, TriCare and Aged Care Queensland, the first phase of the study describes the structures and processes for effective communication in Aged Care Facilities (ACF's). A process of analysis will synthesize the results of Phase 1 to propose key communication-related indicators of quality care in ACF's. This model is tested in Phase 2 by examining the association between key communication-related indicators and accreditation outcomes. Read moreRead less
Pathways to better practice: developing human resources in child protection services for Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Queensland. This study addresses the serious and escalating problem of providing child protection services to Indigenous children and their families in rural and remote areas. Service delivery to rural and remote environments in Australia is a high cost exercise and, to date, little research has been conducted to understanding the complex nature of professiona ....Pathways to better practice: developing human resources in child protection services for Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Queensland. This study addresses the serious and escalating problem of providing child protection services to Indigenous children and their families in rural and remote areas. Service delivery to rural and remote environments in Australia is a high cost exercise and, to date, little research has been conducted to understanding the complex nature of professional (non-medical) interventions in communities with high proportions of Indigenous families and children. The study, conducted across two states, will contribute to national benefit in 3 key areas: the health and wellbeing of Indigenous children; skills shortage in rural areas and intergenerational change in professional disciplines.Read moreRead less
The neglected dimension of community liveability: Impact on social connectedness and active ageing. Quality of life and well being are essential to maintaining a healthy and socially-engaged population. This project takes an innovative trans-disciplinary approach in addressing the national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and the associated goal, Ageing well, ageing productively through research that identifies the attributes of communities that foster or inhibit social ....The neglected dimension of community liveability: Impact on social connectedness and active ageing. Quality of life and well being are essential to maintaining a healthy and socially-engaged population. This project takes an innovative trans-disciplinary approach in addressing the national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and the associated goal, Ageing well, ageing productively through research that identifies the attributes of communities that foster or inhibit social engagement. The outcomes of the project will inform policy makers, planners and service deliver organisations about ways to identify, improve or maintain safe housing, transport and community environments for the benefit of all Australians.Read moreRead less
Determinants of successful community transition for individuals with acquired brain injury and their families. Transition home following acquired brain injury (ABI) is a critical phase in which individuals and families are vulnerable. Unsuccessful transitions are characterised by events such as financial crisis, family breakdown, loss of work, social isolation, and institutionalisation. ABI does not discriminate, but there is a higher rate in Indigenous, rural and remote communities and amongst ....Determinants of successful community transition for individuals with acquired brain injury and their families. Transition home following acquired brain injury (ABI) is a critical phase in which individuals and families are vulnerable. Unsuccessful transitions are characterised by events such as financial crisis, family breakdown, loss of work, social isolation, and institutionalisation. ABI does not discriminate, but there is a higher rate in Indigenous, rural and remote communities and amongst younger people. The societal impact of ABI includes loss of income and livelihood, health and welfare dependence, and long-term accommodation support. Research into the determinants of successful transition will alleviate the personal, social and economic burden of ABI and inform policy and program priorities for appropriate Australian Government bodies.Read moreRead less
Both Smart and Healthy: Learning Communities as a Settings-based Approaches to Health Promotion. This project will use a collaborative learning model to build health promotion capacity. The project brings together two innovative approaches to develop new knowledge about how setting-based approaches to health can be implemented in future. This approach could potentially address chronic disease at a national and international level by promoting healthy communities that can effectively manage chr ....Both Smart and Healthy: Learning Communities as a Settings-based Approaches to Health Promotion. This project will use a collaborative learning model to build health promotion capacity. The project brings together two innovative approaches to develop new knowledge about how setting-based approaches to health can be implemented in future. This approach could potentially address chronic disease at a national and international level by promoting healthy communities that can effectively manage chronic disease through collaborative learning and knowledge-building. The project represents an important collaboration between a university and its community with a view to improving health capacity.Read moreRead less
Beyond psychopathology: Pathways to suicide in mentally well young adult males. Increased knowledge of risk factors for suicide among mentally well males can lead to better informed preventive health policies, earlier intervention and community education. The tragic impacts of suicide lead to long-term societal problems which result in disconnection and alienation, particularly for those who are left behind; findings from this study will assist development of initiatives aimed at increasing soci ....Beyond psychopathology: Pathways to suicide in mentally well young adult males. Increased knowledge of risk factors for suicide among mentally well males can lead to better informed preventive health policies, earlier intervention and community education. The tragic impacts of suicide lead to long-term societal problems which result in disconnection and alienation, particularly for those who are left behind; findings from this study will assist development of initiatives aimed at increasing social connectedness and awareness. Also, males compose the predominant workforce in Australia and the costs saved as a result of effective prevention initiatives may be enormous, given that economic costs to suicide are estimated at 900 million dollars annually. Read moreRead less
Increasing and Sustaining Physical Activity Levels of Sedentary Older Adults by Improving Social Support and Links with Local Community Resources. This project will promote the health of older people by linking them with local physical activity resources and social support to encourage them to increase and sustain their levels of physical activity. This project uses an innovative approach to tackle one of the key behavioural risk factors for older people, namely physical inactivity, identified b ....Increasing and Sustaining Physical Activity Levels of Sedentary Older Adults by Improving Social Support and Links with Local Community Resources. This project will promote the health of older people by linking them with local physical activity resources and social support to encourage them to increase and sustain their levels of physical activity. This project uses an innovative approach to tackle one of the key behavioural risk factors for older people, namely physical inactivity, identified by the national ageing strategy. The intervention model will provide, for the first time, a sustainable local community vehicle for engaging and sustaining sedentary older people in physical activity. It is anticipated that the community will adopt the model once its efficacy is demonstrated.Read moreRead less
An Investigation into Suicidal Behaviours by Males during the Process of Marital and De Facto Separation. The project has a likelihood of reducing rates of fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour by high-risk groups such as males aged 25 - 44, and growing Australian populations such as the separated/divorced. The anticipated saving of lives, injuries, and mental distress is expected to achieve substantial and sustainable cutback in individual, corporate and public expenditure on mental health, i ....An Investigation into Suicidal Behaviours by Males during the Process of Marital and De Facto Separation. The project has a likelihood of reducing rates of fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour by high-risk groups such as males aged 25 - 44, and growing Australian populations such as the separated/divorced. The anticipated saving of lives, injuries, and mental distress is expected to achieve substantial and sustainable cutback in individual, corporate and public expenditure on mental health, injury control and suicide prevention by government, community and corporate agencies. Time and personnel resources utilised by the police, ambulance, coroner, hospital, and insurance departments can be diverted from highly preventable suicides to other areas. Read moreRead less