The Second Australian Study Of Health And Relationships
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,637,477.00
Summary
The present proposal is for the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships, a survey of 20,000 Australians aged 16–69, in 2011–12 in order to understand and document the changes in Australian sexual behaviour over the past decade. It is essential that policy and practice in the arena of sexual and reproductive health be evidence-based and that the evidence base be as current as is practicable.
Predictors And Correlates Of Health-related Quality Of Life And Morbidity In Overweight/obese Adolescents: Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,525.00
Summary
There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and ....There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and impacts of overweight and obesity. The Health of Young Victorians Study was originally assembled in 1997 when the children were in Grades Prep-3. In addition to information on putative risk and protective factors for overweight-obesity and direct measures of height and weight, it is unique in having collected data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) since children were first recruited during the early primary school years. Eight years after the first wave, the children will be adolescents in Grades 8-11. This third wave will retain a focus on HRQoL. Innovations include study of potential emotional, behavioural and physical consequences of childhood obesity that may in turn affect the natural history of obesity. This large, population-based longitudinal study will redress neglected aspects of child and adolescent overweight-obesity specifically identified in 2003 by the NH and MRC. As well as establishing whether a range of common problems are related to overweight-obesity, it will be able to shed light on mechanisms of adverse outcomes associated with adolescent overweight-obesity, and study protective factors predicting remitting overweight from childhood to adolescence that may inform preventive activities. The study will make an international contribution to knowledge about pathways, prevalence and preventive opportunities for child and adolescent overweight-obesity.Read moreRead less
Risky Business: Improving Understanding Of Young People’s Risky Alcohol Consumption, Drug Use And Sexual Behaviour.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$299,564.00
Summary
Increasing numbers of young Australians engage in high-risk alcohol and drug use and sexual behaviour, and experience preventable health outcomes such as injuries, violence and sexually transmitted infections. Despite growing concern, we lack understanding about why young adults take risks, which groups are most at risk, and how different drugs, contexts and settings contribute. Using unique datasets and novel analytical strategies I will generate new knowledge to inform public health responses.
There’s recent evidence that children get leaner and fitter during the school term, but become fatter and less fit over the summer holidays. This may be because of differences in activity and diet: on holidays, children may eat more, be less active and have more screen time. We propose to track the time use, diet, fitness and fatness of 9-11 year old children across three school years. If the pattern is confirmed, we should focus more on the home environment, or perhaps encourage summer camps.
The Physical Activity Continuum In Relation To Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention And Mental Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,975.00
Summary
Although incidental physical activity and sleep occupy the large majority of people’s time, we know very little about their joint importance for a healthy heart and a healthy mind. This program of research will examine how physical activity of any intensity and sleep influence cardiovascular and mental health. This research will enable health professionals and public health authorities to develop sustainable and realistic evidence-based lifestyle programs to benefit the health of Australians.
The After-school Period: A Critical Window For Children's Health Behaviours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$33,054.00
Summary
The after-school period is important for children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviours. This PhD by publication will build on the first two years of study. Progress-to-date includes defining the after-school period and examining the prevalence and contribution the period makes to daily behaviours over time. This thesis will now examine changes in patterns of after-school behaviours, determine the reliability of survey items assessing correlates of these behaviours and examine correlates.
Reducing Unintended Pregnancies Among Female Sex Workers In Kenya Using MHealth: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,161.00
Summary
This research aims to reduce the high rates of unintended pregnancy experienced by female sex workers (FSW) in Kenya. It involves the development of a health promotion program delivered by mobile phone (mHealth intervention) to improve FSWs’ knowledge of SRH and reduce their risk of unintended pregnancy. The intervention will be trialled with 860 FSWs from 86 sex work venues in Mombasa. If effective, it can be implemented to improve women’s health in many and diverse settings.
Socioeconomic Variation In Community Risk Profiles Associated With Health And Behaviour Problems In Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,700.00
Summary
Until recently, emotional and behavioural problems of adolescence have tended to be dismissed as part of the normal turbulence of adolescent development; however, attitudes to adolescent health and health promotion have changed quickly. Downward age-trends in tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use have made adolescents a major target for health promotion. The practical potential for adolescent mental health promotion has gained considerable ground and knowledge of the modifiable determinants of y ....Until recently, emotional and behavioural problems of adolescence have tended to be dismissed as part of the normal turbulence of adolescent development; however, attitudes to adolescent health and health promotion have changed quickly. Downward age-trends in tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use have made adolescents a major target for health promotion. The practical potential for adolescent mental health promotion has gained considerable ground and knowledge of the modifiable determinants of youth mental health problems has been progressed by a growing number of studies examining distal and proximal predictors in community samples. The project plans to comprehensively assess locally elevated risk factors and depressed protective factors predictive of a range of adolescent health and behaviour problems including substance abuse, obesity and depression in 30 communities across three Australian States. These communities will be selected from the entire socioeconomic spectrum to determine how the social context of our neighbourhoods may influence the health and behaviour of adolescents . Surveys of students in grade 6 and year 8 will be conducted. Each participating student will be weighed and measured and asked to complete a questionnaire that assesses a comprehensive range of community risk and protective factors.Read moreRead less