Day-to-day life of adults after age 85: the interplay of mood, engagement, cognition and health in the context of prior functioning. The research will offer considerable social benefits to the Australian community by providing a rare insight into how people over the age of 85 can continue to contribute actively to, and remain engaged with, society. It will improve knowledge and understanding of productive ageing by examining how everyday cognition and mood vary depending on different situational ....Day-to-day life of adults after age 85: the interplay of mood, engagement, cognition and health in the context of prior functioning. The research will offer considerable social benefits to the Australian community by providing a rare insight into how people over the age of 85 can continue to contribute actively to, and remain engaged with, society. It will improve knowledge and understanding of productive ageing by examining how everyday cognition and mood vary depending on different situational contexts and daily activities. It will offer information on the challenges and opportunities experienced by this group of older adults, and reveal the inter-relatedness of social networks, isolation, independence and health for this group of very old adults.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101174
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,154.00
Summary
Harnessing life-course transitions to optimise time-use behaviour habits. At every stage of life, how we use our time is one of the greatest determinants of our happiness, productivity, social wellbeing and quality of life. Time-use habits, for better or worse, are entrenched in daily routines that are difficult to break. This project aims to use existing population datasets to identify when during their life people are most likely to change their time-use habits, and to describe who may be at g ....Harnessing life-course transitions to optimise time-use behaviour habits. At every stage of life, how we use our time is one of the greatest determinants of our happiness, productivity, social wellbeing and quality of life. Time-use habits, for better or worse, are entrenched in daily routines that are difficult to break. This project aims to use existing population datasets to identify when during their life people are most likely to change their time-use habits, and to describe who may be at greatest risk of making unfavourable changes (e.g., replacing physical activity with sedentary time, not getting enough sleep). Expected outcomes include new analytical methods to understand time-use routines and new knowledge to inform future time-use improvement strategies to enable Australians to live their best life.Read moreRead less
Biological and behavioural rhythms of Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder is a disabling and prevalent sleep disorder in the adolescent and young adult population. Using an innovative laboratory method this project will carry out the world's first comprehensive study of it. The results of this study will point the way to an effective treatment of this presently poorly treated disorder.
Things don’t always go better with Coke. This project aims to test whether soft drink use is governed partly by automatic processes (cognitive biases) that operate largely outside of conscious control. In so doing, the project expects to generate a new conceptual understanding of the mechanisms that drive the overconsumption of soft drinks. Expected outcomes include theoretical innovation, new research methodologies, and accessible cost-effective technologies for reducing excessive sugar intake ....Things don’t always go better with Coke. This project aims to test whether soft drink use is governed partly by automatic processes (cognitive biases) that operate largely outside of conscious control. In so doing, the project expects to generate a new conceptual understanding of the mechanisms that drive the overconsumption of soft drinks. Expected outcomes include theoretical innovation, new research methodologies, and accessible cost-effective technologies for reducing excessive sugar intake from soft drinks, in line with recent World Health Organization guidelines. These outcomes will contribute to combatting obesity and tooth decay.Read moreRead less
The biological origins underpinning adolescent sleep timing. Notwithstanding cultural and social influences, bedtimes gradually become later during adolescence, suggesting common biological contributions. Reductions in sleep pressure, delays in the 24-hour circadian rhythm, and genetic associations have been implicated, yet comprehensive prospective data from these biological sleep processes are lacking. This project aims to use periodic 'in-lab' assessments to unmask young adolescents' circadia ....The biological origins underpinning adolescent sleep timing. Notwithstanding cultural and social influences, bedtimes gradually become later during adolescence, suggesting common biological contributions. Reductions in sleep pressure, delays in the 24-hour circadian rhythm, and genetic associations have been implicated, yet comprehensive prospective data from these biological sleep processes are lacking. This project aims to use periodic 'in-lab' assessments to unmask young adolescents' circadian rhythm delay and sleep pressure which may predict naturalistic sleep behaviour in their home environment. It is predicted that adolescents who show both low sleep pressure and later circadian delay to possess later bedtimes, thus enhancing knowledge of covert biological mechanisms sabotaging healthy adolescent sleep.Read moreRead less
Retirement activity planning: a randomised controlled trial. Retirement is a life transition where people must rethink the way they use their time, but little thought is given to planning for this. This project will assess the effect of systematic pre-retirement activity planning on use of time after retirement, with an emphasis on physical activity and sedentary behaviours.
'Just right' job design: A new model using the Goldilocks paradigm. This proposal will generate new knowledge about designing jobs with the right amount of human movement. Prolonged sitting is now a serious work hazard that contributes to cardiovascular risk and obesity. The high incidence of these conditions in many work systems, such as rail, also presents a critical safety hazard due to threat of sudden incapacity while driving. Expected project outcomes are a ‘Just Right’ Job Design model sh ....'Just right' job design: A new model using the Goldilocks paradigm. This proposal will generate new knowledge about designing jobs with the right amount of human movement. Prolonged sitting is now a serious work hazard that contributes to cardiovascular risk and obesity. The high incidence of these conditions in many work systems, such as rail, also presents a critical safety hazard due to threat of sudden incapacity while driving. Expected project outcomes are a ‘Just Right’ Job Design model showing how tasks can be designed to enhance safety and health while maintaining productivity, and in the unlikeliest of workplaces. This will provide significant benefits for the many working Australians whose safety and health are compromised by exposure to prolonged sitting in seemingly intractable environments.Read moreRead less
Public and ethical responses to mandated alcohol warning labels about increased long-term risk of cancer. This project will determine how the Australian public will respond to the proposed introduction of alcohol product warning labels. It will establish how such at point of sale messages can acceptably and effectively inform Australians about the long-term, but modifiable, cancer risk associated with alcohol use and reduce the national cancer burden.
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.
Weighing the impact: How do Australian families interpret and respond to population messaging about obesity, weight loss and physical activity? How do adults and adolescents - both fat and thin - respond to the range of obesity messages that they are exposed to in their everyday lives? This study investigates the attitudes and opinions of 150 families about current obesity campaigns, and will develop a practical template for improving current obesity messaging strategies.