Understanding The Origins Of Diabetes And Kidney Disease In Aboriginal Children And Their Mothers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,784,613.00
Summary
Aboriginal people experience increased rates of diabetes and kidney disease than non-Aboriginal Australians. This project seeks to understand the role played by the intrauterine events, maternal nutrition, breastfeeding and early growth in the development of diabetes and kidney failure in both Aboriginal mothers and their children.
A Dietary Intervention In Gestational Diabetes To Reduce Child Obesity: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,715.00
Summary
Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) whose blood glucose levels (BGL) are not well controlled have a higher chance of giving birth to large babies. These babies are at high risk of becoming overweight children and adults. Preventing child obesity therefore requires appropriate intervention during pregnancy complicated with GDM. This study will determine the ability of specific dietary advice (aimed at reducing maternal BGL) to reduce the risk of large babies in a typical ante-natal setting.
Title: ‘Indigenous Counselling And Nicotine (ICAN) QUIT In Pregnancy’ - A Cluster Randomised Trial To Implement Culturally Competent Evidence-based Smoking Cessation For Pregnant Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Smokers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,259,016.00
Summary
‘ICAN QUIT in Pregnancy’ tackles smoking through training health providers caring for expectant mothers of Indigenous babies in real-world primary care settings. The intervention was co-developed with Aboriginal communities. We will assess how many Indigenous women, cared for by the trained services, quit smoking, compared to the women that receive usual care. We anticipate that babies born to mothers in the intervention group will have less respiratory illness in their first six months.
Translating Evidence Based Smoking Cessation Care For Pregnant Indigenous Smokers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$181,065.00
Summary
Smoking is a major cause of poor health in mothers and babies, yet smoking rates remain high in Indigenous pregnant women. This fellowship supports a trial of a culturally competent targeted intervention for Indigenous pregnant women who smoke. The intervention provides webinar training of health providers in participating Aboriginal Medical Services. A control group will use their standard care practices. Smoking rates of the women cared for by health providers in each group will be compared.
Improving Strategies To Support Pregnant Aboriginal Women To Quit Smoking
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,891.00
Summary
The overall objective of this project is to produce new knowledge about effective strategies for decreasing the smoking rates in pregnant Aboriginal women. The studies aim to: 1. Understand pregnant Aboriginal smokers attitudes to and experiences of using quit smoking methods 2. Understand what behaviour change techniques may be useful for pregnant Aboriginal women who smoke 3. Explore clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes and practices of providing behavioural counselling and nicotine replacemen
Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) In Pregnancy: Challenges Of Health Service Provision
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$38,552.00
Summary
The burden of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in pregnancy can be significant and in Australia is mostly confined to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This study explores the barriers to timely diagnosis and best practice care for pregnant women with RHD, through 1) a study of reporting and health information systems related to RHD in pregnancy; and 2) an examination of health professionals’ knowledge, experiences of and attitudes to provision of care for pregnant women with RHD.
Developing Salient Messages For Indigenous Tobacco Control In Rural Aboriginal Smokers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$117,331.00
Summary
I am a General Practitioner with a keen interest in smoking cessation particularly for Aboriginal people, who have a high rate of smoking. Media messages are not to date being completely effective in this group, so I am investigating how to make more relevant and persuasive messages to support Indigenous smokers and their families (importantly pregnant smokers) to become smoke-free and encourage them to use effective treatments to do so.
The Development Of A Composite Index Of Need For Regional Maternity Services: The Australian Regional Birthing Index (ARBI)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$486,975.00
Summary
the Australian Regional Birthing Index (ARBI) is to be developed in response to the National Maternity Services Plan recommendation for an index to guide the provision of maternity services in rural and remote Australia. This index uses the size, remoteness, and vulnerability of the community, plus lessons learnt from the Canadian rural birth index. An Expert Panel of experienced clinicians, health planners and policy makers and managers of services will guide and test the feasibility of impleme ....the Australian Regional Birthing Index (ARBI) is to be developed in response to the National Maternity Services Plan recommendation for an index to guide the provision of maternity services in rural and remote Australia. This index uses the size, remoteness, and vulnerability of the community, plus lessons learnt from the Canadian rural birth index. An Expert Panel of experienced clinicians, health planners and policy makers and managers of services will guide and test the feasibility of implementing this index.Read moreRead less
A National Population-based Study Of Rheumatic Heart Disease In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$877,826.00
Summary
Whilst overall a rare disease, Indigenous peoples have disproportionately high rates of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This study explores the prevalence and distribution of RHD in pregnancy in Australia and New Zealand. It details current management, diagnostic and referral process and risk factors. Key attributes of culturally safe models of care for RHD in pregnancy are explored, particularly as they relate to Indigenous women. Findings will inform policy, guidelines and education resources.
Endocrine And Molecular Regulation Of Placental CRH Expression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$466,980.00
Summary
Approximately 70% of infant death is associated with premature birth. Preterm birth occurs in 6-10% of pregnancies, and there has been no reduction in the rates of premature birth in the last 30 years. This is largely because we remain ignorant of how normal and abnormal birth is controlled. Understanding the physiology of human pregnancy is a critical step in the development of ways to detect and prevent preterm birth. Our group has demonstrated a link between production of a hormone (corticotr ....Approximately 70% of infant death is associated with premature birth. Preterm birth occurs in 6-10% of pregnancies, and there has been no reduction in the rates of premature birth in the last 30 years. This is largely because we remain ignorant of how normal and abnormal birth is controlled. Understanding the physiology of human pregnancy is a critical step in the development of ways to detect and prevent preterm birth. Our group has demonstrated a link between production of a hormone (corticotrophin releasing hormone, CRH) in the placenta and the length of time the baby is carried in the mother. In women who will deliver prematurely a rise in CRH occurs earlier in the pregnancy and more rapidly, while in women who deliver late the rise occurs more slowly. This work has given rise to the concept of a biological clock that determines the length of time the fetus will be carried by the mother before birth, and in which production of CRH in the placenta plays a central role. We have been studying how the CRH gene is controlled in placental cells. We have discovered some regions in the DNA of the CRH gene which have important roles in controlling how much CRH is made by the placenta. The experiments described in this research project will determine the molecular mechanisms that control the production of CRH in the human placenta. This will be done in two ways: (1) by examining the DNA sequences involved in controlling expression of the CRH gene and (2) by identifying the proteins that actually perform the regulating functions that result in either increased or decreased amounts of CRH being produced by the placenta. This important information will help us better understand how normal and abnormal birth is controlled, and from that knowledge new ways to detect and prevent premature birth can be invented.Read moreRead less