Centre Of Research Excellence On Sitting Time And Chronic Disease Prevention – Mechanisms, Measurement And Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,657,874.00
Summary
Australian research has identified serious health consequences arising from the 7 to 10 hours of daily sitting that most people do, especially in relation to ‘diseases of inactivity’ – type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and breast and colon cancer – that are an unwelcome burden on individuals, families and health systems. This new research examines the practical feasibility and the preventive-health benefits of changing children’s and adults’ sitting time in schools, workplaces and the home ....Australian research has identified serious health consequences arising from the 7 to 10 hours of daily sitting that most people do, especially in relation to ‘diseases of inactivity’ – type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and breast and colon cancer – that are an unwelcome burden on individuals, families and health systems. This new research examines the practical feasibility and the preventive-health benefits of changing children’s and adults’ sitting time in schools, workplaces and the home environment.Read moreRead less
RFIDS: Identifying The Health And Well-being Benefits Of Recreational Fishing
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$29,459.89
Summary
Recreational fishing is a form of outdoor recreation providing physiological, psychological and social benefits to the community. These benefits, while widely recognised, are inherently difficult to identify and quantify. This project will collate research efforts, initiatives and programs currently underway in Australia around the topic of recreational fishing, health and well-being. This investigation will increase understanding of the health and well-being benefits derived from recreational f ....Recreational fishing is a form of outdoor recreation providing physiological, psychological and social benefits to the community. These benefits, while widely recognised, are inherently difficult to identify and quantify. This project will collate research efforts, initiatives and programs currently underway in Australia around the topic of recreational fishing, health and well-being. This investigation will increase understanding of the health and well-being benefits derived from recreational fishing for different community sectors and stages of life. Determination of the health and well-being benefits to communities from recreational fishing will allow for consideration of these factors in allocation of resources. As an outdoor pursuit that can be enjoyed throughout life, it is important that the recreational fishing sector is recognised for promotion of well-being. Factors requiring consideration include a positive impact on mental health, perceived well-being, prevention of chronic disease and associated reductions in health care burden. These and other factors need to be considered for the true value of recreational fishing to be recognised. Recreational fishing is one of the few outdoor recreational activites that can be enjoyed at almost any age regrardless of skill, experieince or disability. Outcomes of Australian Institute of Criminology research investigating sport, physical activity and antisocial behaviour in youth, as well as international efforts such as the UK 'Get Hooked on Fishing' initiative aimed at providing diversions for youth from antisocial behaviour, will be included in the final analysis. This project represents a first step in consolidating the value of recreational fishing across Australia.
Objectives: 1. Identify current research activities and programs in Australia relating to recreational fishing and health or well-being. 2. Investigate the impact of recreational fishing on the health and well-being of Australian Society Read moreRead less
Development Of Fish Health Indicators For The Gladstone Harbour Report Card
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$156,370.69
Summary
This application answers a request for Expressions of Interest for an FRDC and GHHP project to develop a fish sampling program and fish health indicators for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card. The project will review and test approaches, drawing on earlier work commissioned by GHHP (Cowled, 2016; Kroon et al., 2016).
Fish are key biological indicators of environmental contamination, as they are continuously exposed, ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, and play an important ecological rol ....This application answers a request for Expressions of Interest for an FRDC and GHHP project to develop a fish sampling program and fish health indicators for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card. The project will review and test approaches, drawing on earlier work commissioned by GHHP (Cowled, 2016; Kroon et al., 2016).
Fish are key biological indicators of environmental contamination, as they are continuously exposed, ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, and play an important ecological role (van der Oost et al., 2003). When employing fish as indicators of ecosystem health, most Australian programs consider assemblages and community structure. This approach is well-tested and simple to deploy. Its limitations are that extensive sampling can be required to ensure the monitoring program is spatially and temporally representative, avoids sampling gear bias and guarantees sufficient statistical power to detect change. The alternative approach is to measure indicators of individual fish health, such as morphometry, gross pathology, histopathology (Mishra and Mohanty, 2009), fish parasite load and diversity (Sasal et al., 2007) or chromosomal mutations (Pak et al., 2012). Other measures, such as bioaccumulation of contaminants, do not necessarily indicate poor fish health but can be useful for assessing ecosystem condition. Fish health indicators range from relatively low cost to high cost and complexity.
For this project, the preference is for testing and development of low-medium categories of indicators such as external examination, morphometry, gross pathology, parasite count and application of the health assessment index (Cowled, 2016). We will review suitable fish monitoring methods, develop and test cost-effective data collection approaches for Gladstone Harbour using adaptive sampling, evaluate the potential to transfer methods and indicators to similar areas, and produce fish indicators for inclusion in the 2017-18 Gladstone Harbour Report Card.
Future monitoring costs for 2019 are estimated at $45,324 (ex GST), not included in the budget.
Objectives: 1. To review and identify suitable methods to monitor fish health in the Gladstone Harbour. 2. To develop and implement a data collection approach by the end of June 2018 to monitor fish health in the Gladstone Harbour that is both cost-effective and suitable for a fish health indicator. 3. To evaluate the potential to adapt and transfer the methods and indicators developed to monitor fish health in other estuaries and ports in Northern Australia. 4. To develop fish health indicator(s) based on the data collected and apply them to the 2017-18 Gladstone Harbour Report Card. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100829
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,000.00
Summary
The effects of parental education on child health outcomes. This project aims to understand how public education policies can improve health. Common economic analysis of returns to education fails to capture the critical secondary beneficial effects of parental education on future generations’ health. These positive effects are systematically undercounted in the cost-benefit analysis of Australia’s investment in education. This project will use Australian datasets and natural experiments to iden ....The effects of parental education on child health outcomes. This project aims to understand how public education policies can improve health. Common economic analysis of returns to education fails to capture the critical secondary beneficial effects of parental education on future generations’ health. These positive effects are systematically undercounted in the cost-benefit analysis of Australia’s investment in education. This project will use Australian datasets and natural experiments to identify how parental education affects the health outcomes of the second generation. This project expects to provide policy recommendations to maximise health, wellbeing and economic outcomes for Australia.Read moreRead less
A Study Of Fishery-induced Mortality Of Under-sized Rock Lobsters
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Collect & analyse data on fishing practice in handling under-sized western rock lobsters; , & 2. study behaviour, survival rate & subsequent growth rates after return to sea 3. effect of fishing practice on survey & subsequent growth of eff-bearing ("berried") rock lobsters
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100663
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,850.00
Summary
The Real Price of Health: Experiences of Out-of-Pocket Costs in Australia. This project aims to investigate the experiences and preferences of Australian families and individuals on low, middle, and high incomes in managing the out-of-pocket costs of chronic disease. This project aspires to ensure outcomes that are relevant to the public and patients through involving people living with chronic disease in the research team. The project expects to generate a discrete choice model that describes p ....The Real Price of Health: Experiences of Out-of-Pocket Costs in Australia. This project aims to investigate the experiences and preferences of Australian families and individuals on low, middle, and high incomes in managing the out-of-pocket costs of chronic disease. This project aspires to ensure outcomes that are relevant to the public and patients through involving people living with chronic disease in the research team. The project expects to generate a discrete choice model that describes people with chronic diseases’ preferences, and the trade-offs that they are faced with when deciding how to manage out-of-pocket health costs. The evidence arising from this innovative study will be used to directly inform Australian health policy, leading to wide-ranging health and economic benefits for the whole community.Read moreRead less
Sitting Less And Moving More: Population Health Research To Understand And Influence Sedentary Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,367,518.00
Summary
The majority of Australian adults spend most of their waking hours sitting: at home, at work, and in their cars; most do not participate in exercise or sport. This leads to weight gain and to diseases of inactivity (particularly diabetes, heart disease, cancer and depression). New research will measure sitting time and the physical activity in people's daily lives, what factors encourage inactivity, and how to increase activity levels, especially among the ageing 'baby boomer' population.
The effect of physical activity and a structured exercise program on the psychological and physical development of Australian primary school children. This study will explore the effects of early childhood physical activity on development. Our study will assess quantitatively the beneficial effects of exercise on personal and physical growth in young children in a non-intimidating way using a specifically designed exercise program.
Improving external validity of stated choice experiments. This project aims to deliver more accurate estimates of choice behaviour by reducing biases due to choice task complexity in surveys as well as design artefacts. Extracting 'true' preferences is challenging, not only due to possible hypothetical bias, but also due to increasingly complex choice tasks and the existence of design artefacts. This project will investigate the latter two in the context of marketing, transport, health, and envi ....Improving external validity of stated choice experiments. This project aims to deliver more accurate estimates of choice behaviour by reducing biases due to choice task complexity in surveys as well as design artefacts. Extracting 'true' preferences is challenging, not only due to possible hypothetical bias, but also due to increasingly complex choice tasks and the existence of design artefacts. This project will investigate the latter two in the context of marketing, transport, health, and environmental economics, and proposes new methodologies to extract preferences that more closely reflect true behaviour in real markets.Read moreRead less