Early stress experiences and stress resilience in pigs. Animal stress has substantial implications on animal productivity, health and welfare of farm animals and thus farm profitability. This project aims to examine the stress resilience in pigs. Modern pig farming is a major source of food, providing substantial nutritional, social and economic benefits in Australia and worldwide. Animal welfare is of increasing concern to the public, consumers and pork producers, and stress vulnerability is an ....Early stress experiences and stress resilience in pigs. Animal stress has substantial implications on animal productivity, health and welfare of farm animals and thus farm profitability. This project aims to examine the stress resilience in pigs. Modern pig farming is a major source of food, providing substantial nutritional, social and economic benefits in Australia and worldwide. Animal welfare is of increasing concern to the public, consumers and pork producers, and stress vulnerability is an animal health and production problem in the life of the commercial pig. This project will generate new knowledge on early life management to endow stress resilience in pigs, with expected benefits for animal welfare, farm productivity and profitability.Read moreRead less
Investigating the Indirect Effects of Child-Targeted Food Promotion on Children's Diets. Obesity is forecast to cost the Australian community more than $58 billion in 2008. The prevention and reduction of obesity thus has the potential to create significant savings in terms of obesity-related treatment costs and impairments. Children have been identified as a population requiring particular attention in efforts to combat obesity. The proposed study will provide an enhanced understanding of the r ....Investigating the Indirect Effects of Child-Targeted Food Promotion on Children's Diets. Obesity is forecast to cost the Australian community more than $58 billion in 2008. The prevention and reduction of obesity thus has the potential to create significant savings in terms of obesity-related treatment costs and impairments. Children have been identified as a population requiring particular attention in efforts to combat obesity. The proposed study will provide an enhanced understanding of the role that food promotion plays in sub-optimal food choices made by children and their parents. The results of the study will be translated into specific public policy recommendations to assist governments and health agencies in determining appropriate courses of action to promote healthy diets among children and their families.Read moreRead less
Behind the scenes: diversity management paradigm shifts and sticking points. Many Australian organisations miss out on the potential benefits of workforce diversity because they do not manage diversity effectively. This project will investigate how organisations can initiate and direct change processes to manage diversity more effectively, and as a result, experience higher productivity and employee engagement.
The impact of institutional pressure on the management of organisational gender diversity. Women’s low representation in senior management and boards led to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) requiring listed companies to report on gender diversity. This project examines if women’s representation is changing in response to the ASX requirements and identifies organisational strategies for achieving sustainable gender diversity.
Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by r ....Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by researchers in Timor-Leste and elsewhere to evaluate the development impacts of such migration schemes. The data will inform evidence-based policies to improve temporary labour migration schemes, meet urgent development priorities in Timor-Leste, and maximise the benefits of Australian aid funded labour migration schemes.Read moreRead less
A randomised controlled trial assessing the effects of a school-based sleep intervention in Year 6 and 7 students. Inadequate sleep is associated with a wide range of health problems in children, including obesity and poor performance at school. Children are sleeping less than ever before, and there is an increasing pattern of “yo yo sleeping” (sleep deprivation on school days followed by catch up sleeps on weekends). This study will trial a school-based program designed to improve the sleeping ....A randomised controlled trial assessing the effects of a school-based sleep intervention in Year 6 and 7 students. Inadequate sleep is associated with a wide range of health problems in children, including obesity and poor performance at school. Children are sleeping less than ever before, and there is an increasing pattern of “yo yo sleeping” (sleep deprivation on school days followed by catch up sleeps on weekends). This study will trial a school-based program designed to improve the sleeping habits of children. Better sleep is expected to result in improved alertness, better life satisfaction, and improved weight status.Read moreRead less
The NSW child development study. Research shows that a child's development predicts health and social outcomes later in life. This Australian project will be the first to identify risk and protective factors associated with these outcomes in 87,000 children from birth to 10 years. The results will help inform governments to improve our children's health and educational achievements.
Normative study of a checklist of emotional and behavioural disturbance in adults with intellectual disability. People with intellectual disability (ID) are three times more likely to suffer mental illness than the general community, making this a bigger problem than schizophrenia. They are a great burden to their carers and cost to the community but their mental health problems remain largely untreated. This study aims to conduct the largest and most comprehensive survey of the mental health ....Normative study of a checklist of emotional and behavioural disturbance in adults with intellectual disability. People with intellectual disability (ID) are three times more likely to suffer mental illness than the general community, making this a bigger problem than schizophrenia. They are a great burden to their carers and cost to the community but their mental health problems remain largely untreated. This study aims to conduct the largest and most comprehensive survey of the mental health of adults with ID that has been undertaken internationally to date. The population will cover the age span of late adolescence (16 years) through the transition to adult life then through to the elderly. The research will establish the prevalence and nature of mental illness and potential risk factors in a large representative population of adults with ID.Read moreRead less
Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of ....Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of chronic, life-threatening disease in families and individuals. If proven effective, this tool can be rolled out nationwide to help promote and maintain healthier diets in Australian families and reduce the economic burden on the government.Read moreRead less
Effects of omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients on learning and behaviour of Indigenous Australian children from a remote community school. Indigenous Australian children have disproportionate health problems that are largely related to malnutrition, which affects physical health and may also impact on their emotional health, learning and behaviour. Indigenous Australian children in remote rural communities are performing well below national benchmarks, and the government has earmarked improve ....Effects of omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients on learning and behaviour of Indigenous Australian children from a remote community school. Indigenous Australian children have disproportionate health problems that are largely related to malnutrition, which affects physical health and may also impact on their emotional health, learning and behaviour. Indigenous Australian children in remote rural communities are performing well below national benchmarks, and the government has earmarked improved education in this population as a top national priority. To date research has not addressed the impact of nutrition on learning in this population. Improving the nutritional status of these children could assist them to derive greater benefit from educational opportunities, and in turn greater equality of access to occupational opportunities later in life.Read moreRead less