Individual, social and physical environmental influences on children's active transport and independent mobility. Childhood obesity is likely to have significant economic and social impacts on Australian society. Preventing further increases in this disease is crucial, particularly among children at high risk such as those living in rural or disadvantaged areas. The promotion of behaviours such as active transport may have a significant benefit for public health; however little is known about wh ....Individual, social and physical environmental influences on children's active transport and independent mobility. Childhood obesity is likely to have significant economic and social impacts on Australian society. Preventing further increases in this disease is crucial, particularly among children at high risk such as those living in rural or disadvantaged areas. The promotion of behaviours such as active transport may have a significant benefit for public health; however little is known about what influences active transport among children in rural or disadvantaged areas. This study will identify important factors influencing active transport and will directly inform strategies aiming to promote health and wellbeing, thereby creating a healthier generation of Australian children.Read moreRead less
Epidemiologic and economic approaches to reduce the burden of depression and related chronic diseases in the workforce. Employers and governments alike are increasingly recognising that mental health impacts productivity, but many employers remain uninformed about the magnitude of the productivity consequences and what they can do about it. The ongoing individual and economic burden from depressive and anxiety disorders among working adults necessitates multi-disciplinary solutions. This series ....Epidemiologic and economic approaches to reduce the burden of depression and related chronic diseases in the workforce. Employers and governments alike are increasingly recognising that mental health impacts productivity, but many employers remain uninformed about the magnitude of the productivity consequences and what they can do about it. The ongoing individual and economic burden from depressive and anxiety disorders among working adults necessitates multi-disciplinary solutions. This series of studies will provide nationally and internationally significant new data to both inform understanding of the magnitude of the problem, and to provide cost-effective solutions to addressing it. Findings will directly inform workplace mental health promotion and prevention activities and be usable by employers, clinicians, and governments.Read moreRead less
Critical windows: understanding changes in eating and physical activity over the transition from secondary school to young adulthood. This project will explain changes in eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviour during the critical period of transition from secondary school to young adulthood. It will provide important information on how we can assist adolescents to maintain a healthy lifestyle over a time characterised by several major life changes.
Community Engagement for Productive Ageing: Models to support rural healthy ageing through the maintenance of community involvement and contribution. Governments at all levels are concerned about the looming social and economic challenges flowing from an ageing population. At present, ageing services are largely focussed on caring for the frail dependent aged. Yet, ultimately, the key to meeting the ageing challenge will lie in how successful we are in supporting our healthy independent aged to ....Community Engagement for Productive Ageing: Models to support rural healthy ageing through the maintenance of community involvement and contribution. Governments at all levels are concerned about the looming social and economic challenges flowing from an ageing population. At present, ageing services are largely focussed on caring for the frail dependent aged. Yet, ultimately, the key to meeting the ageing challenge will lie in how successful we are in supporting our healthy independent aged to stay contributing and productive members of their community. By developing evidence-based interventions that focus on preventing social disengagement before it occurs, the project provides a cost effective approach to ensuring that Australia's rapidly growing aged cohort remain social assets and do not become social burdens.Read moreRead less
The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all thr ....The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all three of these measures will effect infant attachment 6 months later. It will then examine how all four of these measures will effect the adjustment of infants 12 months later. The study will have important implications for early intervention and prevention of psychological problems in infants and children.Read moreRead less
Translational research in osteoarthritis: from epidemiological studies to clinical interventions. Currently the only treatment for osteoarthritis is to relieve pain. However, there are some factors that may affect the progression of this disease. This project will examine these factors including inflammation, metabolism, and physical inactivity, and find potential modifying therapies such as vitamin D supplementation for osteoarthritis.
Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidi ....Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidity by developing a multi-country study; and estimate the burden of diseases attributed to bushfire air pollution. This project will provide essential scientific evidence to policy-makers and stakeholders in the development, prioritization and implementation of health protection strategies and policies.
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Healing Country: integrating knowledge systems to meet climate challenges. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are currently experiencing severe environmental challenges related to a changing climate. Led by Aboriginal communities, this project aims to integrate traditional knowledges and environmental and health data to create community story-data maps. These interactive, online maps will be a unique and powerful blend of information, providing a rich evidence base, decision-suppo ....Healing Country: integrating knowledge systems to meet climate challenges. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are currently experiencing severe environmental challenges related to a changing climate. Led by Aboriginal communities, this project aims to integrate traditional knowledges and environmental and health data to create community story-data maps. These interactive, online maps will be a unique and powerful blend of information, providing a rich evidence base, decision-support and communication tool to inform the co-design of local climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience plans. The project aims to give agency to Aboriginal communities in leading a systems change process to reduce environmental risks and strengthen health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100924
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Living with bushfires: generating essential evidence for sustainable fire management. Planned burning is a crucial tool for bushfire management yet a side effect is smoke pollution. This research will use ambulance data to assess the acute community health impacts of smoke from wild and planned fires to provide essential evidence for increasing the safety and acceptability of planned burning operations in Australia.
Does binocular vision training enhance literacy among primary school children with poor reading? One in ten Australian children can not read well despite adequate intelligence and opportunity. This project aims to find out the extent that these reading problems reflect poor binocular vision (the eyes not working well together) and evaluate new treatments.