Advanced Bayesian Networks for Epidemiology. We will demonstrate the potential of advanced Artificial Intelligence for medical informatics by extending the capabilities of Bayesian Networks. Bayesian Networks excel when researchers need to combine causal and diagnostic reasoning in areas characterised by uncertainty. But they have one flaw which hinders their use: they do not yet easily mix continuous and discrete variables. We will extend them to handle such mixes, then demonstrate how much the ....Advanced Bayesian Networks for Epidemiology. We will demonstrate the potential of advanced Artificial Intelligence for medical informatics by extending the capabilities of Bayesian Networks. Bayesian Networks excel when researchers need to combine causal and diagnostic reasoning in areas characterised by uncertainty. But they have one flaw which hinders their use: they do not yet easily mix continuous and discrete variables. We will extend them to handle such mixes, then demonstrate how much they can improve on current methods for predicting, among other things, coronary heart disease (CHD).Read moreRead less
Spatial analysis of a linked environmental, health and social data base. Extensive environmental, health and socio-demographic data are routinely collected by various agencies throughout Australia. To date, it has been difficult to link separate databases and investigate possible associations between the different parameters within them. In this proposal we plan to link routinely collected health, environment and socio-demographic data from a number of databases. We then plan to develop tools fo ....Spatial analysis of a linked environmental, health and social data base. Extensive environmental, health and socio-demographic data are routinely collected by various agencies throughout Australia. To date, it has been difficult to link separate databases and investigate possible associations between the different parameters within them. In this proposal we plan to link routinely collected health, environment and socio-demographic data from a number of databases. We then plan to develop tools for geo-referencing the data. Finally we plan to perform spatial analysis of the linked data, specifically investigating associations between environmental and social factors and childhood leukaemia, deliberate self harm and adverse birth outcomes. Linking separate databases and performing spatial analysis of georeferenced data will substantially improve the quality of public health surveillance and research in NSW. In addition, it will enable more detailed analysis of the effects of environmental exposures on health, using routine data.Read moreRead less
Optimising the Utility of Injury Surveillance Systems for Injury Prevention in Active Populations. Promotion of physical activity is a key national health priority and a major focus for the Australian Defence Force to achieve and maintain operational fitness. Unfortunately, these goals are associated with the negative effects of increased injury occurrence and substantial related costs. Civilian and military injury surveillance systems inform injury prevention priorities and interventions but re ....Optimising the Utility of Injury Surveillance Systems for Injury Prevention in Active Populations. Promotion of physical activity is a key national health priority and a major focus for the Australian Defence Force to achieve and maintain operational fitness. Unfortunately, these goals are associated with the negative effects of increased injury occurrence and substantial related costs. Civilian and military injury surveillance systems inform injury prevention priorities and interventions but research is required to maximise their performance and utility. The project aims to 1) determine the extent to which current systems meet user requirements 2) assess utility and reliability of these systems specifically for active populations and 3) develop recommendations for future systems development and improved user application.Read moreRead less
Large-scale computational modelling of epidemics in Australia. The project aims to develop novel computational epidemiological models to contribute to guidelines for optimal prophylaxis, vaccination and case management. Emerging threats posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism could have dramatic effects on the Australian population, productivity and economy. The project aims to improve the accuracy and scope of modern computational epidemiological models by integrating large-scale Census d ....Large-scale computational modelling of epidemics in Australia. The project aims to develop novel computational epidemiological models to contribute to guidelines for optimal prophylaxis, vaccination and case management. Emerging threats posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism could have dramatic effects on the Australian population, productivity and economy. The project aims to improve the accuracy and scope of modern computational epidemiological models by integrating large-scale Census datasets and explicitly simulating the entire population down to the level of single individuals, coupled with complex network-based and information flow analysis. The intended outcomes include a more precise and efficient forecasting of critical epidemic dynamics, and increased effectiveness of prevention, mitigation and management of socio-economic, socio-ecological and national security crises.Read moreRead less
Improving the measurement and surveillance of child abuse in Queensland. Estimates of the prevalence of child abuse suggest 10-20% of children are affected, with financial costs to the community around $5 billion annually, and extensive health and social consequences. Despite these enormous costs, research into risk factors and prevalence of child abuse has been hampered by poorly validated statistics. The use of routine hospital data for the identification of child abuse cases offers an effici ....Improving the measurement and surveillance of child abuse in Queensland. Estimates of the prevalence of child abuse suggest 10-20% of children are affected, with financial costs to the community around $5 billion annually, and extensive health and social consequences. Despite these enormous costs, research into risk factors and prevalence of child abuse has been hampered by poorly validated statistics. The use of routine hospital data for the identification of child abuse cases offers an efficient nationally standardised data source to improve the precision of child protection departmental responses through routine monitoring and audits of linked health and child protection data. Improvement of data will inform identification, intervention and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Architectural glass related injury: implications for improving public safety. The immediate benefit of the project is information for government, the building and furniture industries, regulators, and the community to underpin interventions to prevent architectural and furniture glass injury. A major longer term benefit is to provide the crucial injury and glass data for future conduct of the other two phases of the planned research program, namely, glass performance testing and simulated human- ....Architectural glass related injury: implications for improving public safety. The immediate benefit of the project is information for government, the building and furniture industries, regulators, and the community to underpin interventions to prevent architectural and furniture glass injury. A major longer term benefit is to provide the crucial injury and glass data for future conduct of the other two phases of the planned research program, namely, glass performance testing and simulated human-glass impact studies. These future studies will provide the scientific evidence for review of the Standards for architectural glass for application to the building, design and construction industry to increase safety for the Australian community. Read moreRead less
Modelling the population impact of injury. This project aims to model the long-term, population impact of non-fatal injury through the use of cutting edge epidemiological modelling, sophisticated biostatistics, advanced econometrics, and geospatial analysis. The project will use population-based, linked longitudinal data to generate new knowledge about the long-term impacts of injury, cost of injury, and expected burden into the future. Through the multi-disciplinary and multi-national collabo ....Modelling the population impact of injury. This project aims to model the long-term, population impact of non-fatal injury through the use of cutting edge epidemiological modelling, sophisticated biostatistics, advanced econometrics, and geospatial analysis. The project will use population-based, linked longitudinal data to generate new knowledge about the long-term impacts of injury, cost of injury, and expected burden into the future. Through the multi-disciplinary and multi-national collaborations established, it is anticipated that this project may lead to future changes in public health and social policy, prioritisation of injury prevention efforts, and establish the capacity to evaluate injury interventions and policy shifts as they occur.Read moreRead less
Influences on farmer suicide in Queensland and New South Wales. Australian farmers have been identified as being at high-risk of suicide. This project will provide direction for targeted suicide prevention strategies by quantifying the individual and environmental factors that place farmers at higher risk of suicide, as well as the protective factors that may buffer against suicide and suicidal behaviours.
New directions in health inequalities research: understanding the intersection between housing, employment and health in Australia. People employed on a casual basis in Australia are nearly three times more likely to live in a household that is in housing affordability stress than their permanently employed counterparts. Employment and housing are both determinants of health. While social inclusion, employment and housing affordability are critical components of the government's current social p ....New directions in health inequalities research: understanding the intersection between housing, employment and health in Australia. People employed on a casual basis in Australia are nearly three times more likely to live in a household that is in housing affordability stress than their permanently employed counterparts. Employment and housing are both determinants of health. While social inclusion, employment and housing affordability are critical components of the government's current social policy agenda, articulation between these policy domains is limited and little researched. This important study will provide robust evidence on the ways that housing and employment interact to both cause and prevent health inequities. This will directly benefit agencies delivering services to vulnerable people and contribute to an evidence base of benefit to policy makers.Read moreRead less