Exploring Mealtimes On Subacute Wards Using An Ethnographic Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$45,668.00
Summary
This research aims to understand what mealtimes are like for staff and visitors on rehabilitation hospital wards, and what beliefs and attitudes they have about mealtimes. A mealtime program that aims to improve patients’ nutritional intake will be introduced, and how staff and visitors experience this change will be explored. This research will help healthcare organisations to navigate complex change within the healthcare system.
Injecting Drug Users: Social Networks And Molecular Epidemiology Of The Hepatitis C Virus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$543,868.00
Summary
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) continues to spread among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Australia at a very high rate, despite success in preventing the spread of HIV in the same groups; the complete reasons for this remain unclear. There is an urgent need for the HCV epidemic among IDUs to be contained. To do so, we must better understand the ways in which it is spreading among IDUs. Much is known about risk behaviours of individual IDUs and how they contribute to HCV transmission; much less is kn ....The hepatitis C virus (HCV) continues to spread among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Australia at a very high rate, despite success in preventing the spread of HIV in the same groups; the complete reasons for this remain unclear. There is an urgent need for the HCV epidemic among IDUs to be contained. To do so, we must better understand the ways in which it is spreading among IDUs. Much is known about risk behaviours of individual IDUs and how they contribute to HCV transmission; much less is known about how these behaviours are modified by the influence of the IDUs peer group, especially their immediate and intimate social networks. Despite its importance in influencing attitudes and behaviours, and therefore HCV transmission, this has never been studied in Australia, nor, in relation to HCV, in the world. We hope that by studying social and risk networks of IDUs we shall discover new ways in which control of the HCV epidemic can be achieved in Australia. We intend to do this among two groups of young IDUs, one of Vietnamese ethnicity, located in the one suburb of Melbourne. By using field techniques for gathering information (ethnography), and sophisticated analytic techniques to understand how these networks are formed and influence behaviours, we hope to be able to identify interventions which work at the level of the social group rather than the individual in bringing about the behaviour change necessary to prevent HCV transmission. To ensure that the risk networks we describe are as influential as they appear, and to discover more about the variability of HCV, we will also be investigating the relationship between the various strains of HCV in members of the IDU networks, particularly as another measure of the connectedness of networks and network members. This will be done using sophisticated genetic analysis of the HCV obtained from network members by blood test.Read moreRead less
Improving Understanding Of Psychostimulant-related Harms In Australia: An Integrated Ethno-epidemiological Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,430.00
Summary
National drug surveys and surveillance systems have detected sharp increases in the use of 'psychostimulant' drugs such as the amphetamines, ecstasy and cocaine. The level of harms associated with excessive use of these drugs, such as mental health problems and drug dependence, has also increased, as has the use of these drugs via injection. These increases in the prevalence of use and related harms have also been detected internationally. Previous research on psychostimulant drugs, in Australia ....National drug surveys and surveillance systems have detected sharp increases in the use of 'psychostimulant' drugs such as the amphetamines, ecstasy and cocaine. The level of harms associated with excessive use of these drugs, such as mental health problems and drug dependence, has also increased, as has the use of these drugs via injection. These increases in the prevalence of use and related harms have also been detected internationally. Previous research on psychostimulant drugs, in Australia and overseas, has suggested that using these drugs in particular ways might be associated with a greater chance of contracting HIV and other blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C (eg through sharing needles and syringes or other equipment associated with injecting drugs); sexually transmitted infections and other sexual health problems (eg through engaging in unsafe sex); and of being involved in violent incidents. Despite this previous research, however, little is known about the specific social and cultural contexts associated with psychostimulant-related harms, and this has stymied the development of appropriate responses to prevent such harms occurring. This research project will provide a greater understanding of the individual, social and cultural factors associated with pychostimulant-related harm through an innovative combination and integration of anthropological and epidemiological research methods known as 'ethno-epidemiology'. In order to access a range of psychostimulant-using contexts, research will focus on three sites: street-based drug users in Sydney, club drug users in Melbourne, and home-based recreational drug users in Perth. These groups have been chosen because they have high prevalences of psychostimulant use. The research project will provide important data that will inform future interventions, improve multidisciplinary models for drug research, and build Australia's capacity to conduct cutting-edge public health research.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Barriers To Improved Access, Engagement And Retention Of Methamphetamine Users In Health Services
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$788,291.00
Summary
Drug surveys show widespread use of methamphetamine. Its regular use, particularly via injection, is associated with a range of serious harms, including drug dependence, psychosis, viral infection and violence. In order to improve access, engagement and retention of methamphetamine injectors in drug treatment and other health services, and thereby reduce these harms, further research is urgently needed to better understand their healthcare needs and the existing barriers to service utilisation.