Drivers of ageing and adaptive ageing in middle-aged and older adults. This project aims to answer crucial questions about how our early years influence our health and wellbeing in middle and later life. Drawing on one of Australia’s longest running studies of social and emotional development, we link decades of developmental data collected since 1983 to social, emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing in participants turning 40 (midlife) and 70 (later life). It will provide insight into impo ....Drivers of ageing and adaptive ageing in middle-aged and older adults. This project aims to answer crucial questions about how our early years influence our health and wellbeing in middle and later life. Drawing on one of Australia’s longest running studies of social and emotional development, we link decades of developmental data collected since 1983 to social, emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing in participants turning 40 (midlife) and 70 (later life). It will provide insight into important and largely unanswered questions about the way social factors in the first half of life shape our later selves. This study will inform government and health policy targeting ageing populations.
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Improving Health Outcomes With Population-based Biological, Social And Environmental Information And Research Methods.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,050,000.00
Summary
This proposal brings together two partner institutions and research teams in an integrated program through pooling of experience, sharing of databases and other resources and joint mentoring of new researchers to achieve improved health status through a whole of life and intergenerational view of health and health determinants. The proposal incorporates real consumer participation throughout the grant. The grant will help position Australia in the newly emerging research skills and methodology i ....This proposal brings together two partner institutions and research teams in an integrated program through pooling of experience, sharing of databases and other resources and joint mentoring of new researchers to achieve improved health status through a whole of life and intergenerational view of health and health determinants. The proposal incorporates real consumer participation throughout the grant. The grant will help position Australia in the newly emerging research skills and methodology involved with data linkages. Building on the successful multi-disciplinary research environments at both institutions, the grant will provide additional funds for these two groups to work cooperatively together. The groups currently operate with established links to researchers on a national basis and will be exploring aspects from the biomedical, clinical and health service delivery perspective to link environmental and social determinants of health from early childhood to adulthood. The grant will provide research training in a whole of life approach. In particular, researchers will gain experience in linking research findings into health policy with active consumer involvement to improve health outcomes.Read moreRead less
The Ovarian Cancer Prognosis And Lifestyle (OPAL) Study: Long-term Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$871,657.00
Summary
Ovarian cancer affects 1500 women each year in Australia and 5-year survival is <45%. Affected women thus face a poor prognosis and often ask what they can do to improve this. There is no direct evidence whether a woman’s lifestyle might influence her outcomes, although data from breast cancer suggest this is possible. The OPAL Study is following 960 women with ovarian cancer to identify whether lifestyle is associated with long-term survival to provide evidence for women with this disease.
Epidemiology And Management Of Bronchiectasis In Australian Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,676.00
Summary
Bronchiectasis is an incurable lung disease which causes chronic cough with phlegm. We do not know how many Australians have bronchiectasis or how it affects their lives, and there are few effective treatments. The recently launched Australian Bronchiectasis Registry collects comprehensive information on Australians with bronchiectasis. This project will use this information to start to answer these questions, and will investigate nebulised hypertonic saline as a cheap and accessible treatment.
Allostatic Mediators Of Socioeconomic Inequalities In Periodontitis Among Australian Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,000.00
Summary
Periodontal (gum) disease is a significant cause of tooth loss among adults in Australia. Bacteria (germs) that stick to teeth in dental plaque are the primary cause of gum disease. However, the amount of damage caused to the gums depends heavily on the body's immune system which fights infection throughout the body. Like many other health conditions, gum disease occurs at a higher rate in people in a relatively low socioeconomic-position (SEP) compared to people from high SEP. Studies of other ....Periodontal (gum) disease is a significant cause of tooth loss among adults in Australia. Bacteria (germs) that stick to teeth in dental plaque are the primary cause of gum disease. However, the amount of damage caused to the gums depends heavily on the body's immune system which fights infection throughout the body. Like many other health conditions, gum disease occurs at a higher rate in people in a relatively low socioeconomic-position (SEP) compared to people from high SEP. Studies of other health conditions have shown that psychosocial stress (eg. job strain, financial stress) disproportionately affects people in low SEP groups. Stress, in turn, is known to alter the body's defense mechanisms, including the immune system, contributing to higher rates of conditions such as heart disease. Researchers have used the term allostatic load to describe this failure of the body's defense system under stress. Stress has also been suggested as a contributing factor in gum disease. This study will investigate whether this sequence of events producing allostatic load also plays a role in gum disease. We will study a random sample of 610 Australian adults from the full range of SEP backgrounds. We will ask them about their experience of daily stress, and measure their levels of gum disease and dental plaque. We will also collect samples of fluid from around their gums to measure quantities of two chemicals that indicate the activity of immune defense mechanisms in the gums. We will analyze these results to determine whether stress affects the body's responses to dental plaque, and whether that response accounts for differences in levels of gum disease between SEP groups. Results from this study will pinpoint the role of common bodily defense mechanisms in the development of gum disease. These results may help to identify sources of stress that, if controlled, could reduce rates of gum disease and other conditions affected by allostatic load.Read moreRead less
Gynaecological, Oesophageal And Skin Cancer In Australia: Developing The Evidence-base
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,079,935.00
Summary
Our Program addresses cancers of the ovary, uterus, oesophagus and skin (both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers). The first three cancers together affect almost 4,000 people and cause more than 2,000 deaths every year while skin cancer affects almost 400,000 Australians each year. Our aims are, first, to understand better how these cancers are caused so that we can try to prevent them in the future; second, to enhance diagnosis of these cancers; and third, to improve the survival and qualit ....Our Program addresses cancers of the ovary, uterus, oesophagus and skin (both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers). The first three cancers together affect almost 4,000 people and cause more than 2,000 deaths every year while skin cancer affects almost 400,000 Australians each year. Our aims are, first, to understand better how these cancers are caused so that we can try to prevent them in the future; second, to enhance diagnosis of these cancers; and third, to improve the survival and quality of life for people who are diagnosed with these cancers in Australia.Read moreRead less
Nurition Promotion And Population Health: A Program Addressing Behavioural, Social And Environmental Determinants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,210,140.00
Summary
Good nutrition is important for health well-being by reducing the risk of diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. However, a significant number of Australians do not eat diets that are consistent with existing health recommendations. While the health consequences of poor nutrition have been well-documented and there is a substantial body of research that describes this problem, much less research has focused on coming up with solutions. This research will explore the influences on Aust ....Good nutrition is important for health well-being by reducing the risk of diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. However, a significant number of Australians do not eat diets that are consistent with existing health recommendations. While the health consequences of poor nutrition have been well-documented and there is a substantial body of research that describes this problem, much less research has focused on coming up with solutions. This research will explore the influences on Australian's eating patterns by examining the role of a range of personal, social and environmental factors in children and adults. The research will also test the effectiveness of innovative strategies to promote healthy eating.Read moreRead less
Ovarian and endometrial cancer affect >3,200 women each year in Australia and 3 or 4 women die from these cancers every day. The overall aim of my program of research is to reduce the burden of these cancers in future generations of Australian women by increasing our understanding of (i) what causes them, (ii) how we can optimise patient management to enhance patient outcomes and (ii) how lifestyle changes might improve quality and life and survival, for women who are diagnosed with them.