Extending The Australian Arm Of The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$881,295.00
Summary
This project is to provide for the Australian arm of a large multi-national study to determine how tobacco control policies work. It is being conducted in the context of the implementation in 2005 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Australia is a party. We will provide new knowledge on the impacts of specific policies which are being implemented in Australia, as well as ones that occur in other countries that are part of the larger study. These i ....This project is to provide for the Australian arm of a large multi-national study to determine how tobacco control policies work. It is being conducted in the context of the implementation in 2005 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Australia is a party. We will provide new knowledge on the impacts of specific policies which are being implemented in Australia, as well as ones that occur in other countries that are part of the larger study. These include the adoption of graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, removal of misleading constituents levels information from packs, bans of misleading descriptors such as Light and Mild, and implementation of smoke-free bars. In addition it will advance our understanding of how policy effects persist over time, their equity, and the means by which they contribute to increased cessation and reduced relapse. We do this by following smokers every year in each of the countries and asking them about their thinking and actions with regard to smoking, as well as about their awareness of the policies. By comparing the responses of smokers exposed to policies with those from other countries that are not exposed, we can work out the contribution of the policies to changes in smoking. Understanding policy effects on smokers and smoking cessation will lead to improved policies in Australia and the likelihood of improved dissemination of policies that work here to other countries. Similarly policies found to work in other countries, can be best adapted to Australia if we understand how they work. Taken in total, it should advance our efforts to reduce the burden of smoking-related harm both in Australia and the rest of the world.Read moreRead less
The Comparative Health System Efficiency For Treating Chronic Physical And Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$58,500.00
Summary
Mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease in Australia, and are the largest cause of disability. Effective treatments are available for all mental disorders, however the majority of sufferers in Australia do not receive these treatments that work. Hence the burden of disease due to mental disorders in Australia persists. Why is this so? Is there something unique about mental disorders that means little can be done with direct treatment? The feasibility and affordability of mental ....Mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease in Australia, and are the largest cause of disability. Effective treatments are available for all mental disorders, however the majority of sufferers in Australia do not receive these treatments that work. Hence the burden of disease due to mental disorders in Australia persists. Why is this so? Is there something unique about mental disorders that means little can be done with direct treatment? The feasibility and affordability of mental health treatment can only be truly understood in comparison with other chronic disorders. Such comparisons are particularly significant as mental health remains a stigmatised area of the health sector. Without comparative data it would be easy for critics to argue for decreased funding for people with mental disorders. Project Outcomes: For three chronic physical disorders in Australia (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma) this project will define the cost-effectiveness of current care, the cost-effectiveness of optimal care (everyone getting treatments that work), and the amount of disease burden that can be averted with high-quality health care. These findings will be compared to similar calculations we have produced for mental disorders, to determine if it is mental disorders or chronic disorders per se that require much more effort by the health care system in Australia.Read moreRead less
Investigation Of Tobacco Industry Efforts To Counteract Tobacco Control In Australia, 1970-2000
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,225.00
Summary
Tobacco use continues to be both the most important preventable cause of premature death and a key determinant of health inequity in Australia. Tobacco is a legally sold product which addicts many of its consumers, mostly as adolescents, and then kills half of them when used as intended. Comprehensive policy change, product regulation and litigation is required to put a halt to the tobacco industry's decades of avoidance, delay and disruption of tobacco control. In an interview for the Wall Stre ....Tobacco use continues to be both the most important preventable cause of premature death and a key determinant of health inequity in Australia. Tobacco is a legally sold product which addicts many of its consumers, mostly as adolescents, and then kills half of them when used as intended. Comprehensive policy change, product regulation and litigation is required to put a halt to the tobacco industry's decades of avoidance, delay and disruption of tobacco control. In an interview for the Wall Street Journal in 1995, Stan Glantz, from the University of California at San Francisco, equated the tobacco industry with other disease vectors: If you want to do something about malaria, you have to study mosquitoes and if you want to do something about lung cancer, you have to study the tobacco industry. Regulatory changes can only be justified by specific local evidence of both the private plans and knowledge of the tobacco industry to attack tobacco control and their public statements and actions designed to mislead consumers and effectively prevent or delay tobacco control. This study will document the public actions and statements of the tobacco industry in Australia between 1970 and 2000. It will draw on interviews with and personal records of tobacco control experts and former state and federal health ministers; as well as tobacco retail trade publications; print media reports; material obtained via Freedom of Information from State and Federal Health Departments; Federal Cabinet papers released under the 30 year rule (ie papers are available from prior 1972); and radio and television reports. It will complement a parallel study of the tobacco industry's internal documents. The outcome will be provision of strategically vital evidence to support effective tobacco control advocacy, policy formation, regulation and litigation in Australia, in the face of continuing industry countermeasures.Read moreRead less
An Econometric Investigation Of Harmful Drinking And Price Response By Alcoholic Types To Inform Alcohol Tax Policies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$449,157.00
Summary
This study will quantify the price responsiveness of alcohol consumption by types of alcoholic drinks and patterns of use, and the association of harmful drinking with physical and mental health. These estimates will then be used to analyse the impacts of a range of alcohol tax policies and education programs, and potential flow-on effects on health and other drug use, providing a guide to future alcohol policy.
Contextual And Composition Determinants Of Urban Health Inequities: An Indigenous Perspective
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,317.00
Summary
This research studies the life experiences of Indigenous Australians living in suburban Australia. The project is exploring whether the characteristics of suburbs have an effect on residents' health, regardless of the make up of the resident population. In particular, this research is examining whether this locational impact is any different for Indigenous people compared to non-Indigenous people. It will specifically take into account the impact of social and economic factors on health. More pa ....This research studies the life experiences of Indigenous Australians living in suburban Australia. The project is exploring whether the characteristics of suburbs have an effect on residents' health, regardless of the make up of the resident population. In particular, this research is examining whether this locational impact is any different for Indigenous people compared to non-Indigenous people. It will specifically take into account the impact of social and economic factors on health. More particularly, the research will consider how Indigenous people's patterns of social interaction, trust and reciprocity - elements of social capital - affect their perceived health status. The research will examine the extent to which people are able to use their social networks to gain access to benefits such as assistance in daily life, access to jobs or to people with influence in ways that directly or indirectly contribute to improved health within the Indigenous population. The impact of racism on health will also be considered. The research will be conducted in two high income and three low income suburbs in Adelaide in order to allow comparisons between the suburbs and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents in each. Information will be collected from detailed interviews, a face-to-face survey and observation of the social environment, services and facilities available in the case study suburbs. The final stage of the research will engage policy makers and program planners to determine the implications of the research for their work. The research findings are designed to be used by policy makers and practitioners when they devise interventions aimed at improving health status and outcomes in Indigenous communities.Read moreRead less
Australia has limited systems in place to identify, then reduce or withdraw (disinvest) ineffective or inappropriate health care practices. Such practices result in sub-optimal care and inefficient use of scarce resources. Disinvestment models are few and have not been tested in Australia. We will develop a novel, systematic policy framework by linking policy, clinical, patient and community members as partners in the decision process for disinvesting (or not) selected health care practices.
EFFECTIVENESS OF INFLUENZA AND PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION IN PREVENTING HOSPITALISATION DUE TO PNEUMONIA IN OLDER PERSONS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$258,475.00
Summary
Flu and pneumococcus remain important causes of illness and death in Australia. They can cause pneumonia and severe respiratory illness, including death, especially in older people. This is because natural immunity against infections tends to decrease with age. Vaccination against flu and pneumococcus is therefore recommended for all persons aged 65 years or older, but only in Victoria are both vaccines publicly funded. The Victorian initiative appears to have had a marked impact on improving va ....Flu and pneumococcus remain important causes of illness and death in Australia. They can cause pneumonia and severe respiratory illness, including death, especially in older people. This is because natural immunity against infections tends to decrease with age. Vaccination against flu and pneumococcus is therefore recommended for all persons aged 65 years or older, but only in Victoria are both vaccines publicly funded. The Victorian initiative appears to have had a marked impact on improving vaccination coverage, but its impact on disease has never been assessed. This study will estimate vaccination coverage, missed vaccination opportunities, effectiveness of flu and pneumococcal vaccines in preventing hospitalisation for pneumonia, and cost-effectiveness of the currently funded vaccination program in this age group. This is considered a priority because of the serious but preventable nature of the diseases caused by these infections. This study will improve awareness of the importance of vaccination among individuals, and given the high estimated vaccine coverage in older Victorians, is well placed to provide the first available evidence for or against effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of flu and pneumococcal vaccination in older Australians. The results may have major implications for public health policy in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia.Read moreRead less
Alcohol Control, Consumption And Consequences: Time Series Analyses Of The Australian Experience
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,631.00
Summary
The study will be the first in Australia to systematically examine the relationships between population level alcohol consumption and mortality from specific causes such as liver disease, injuries and heart disease, with significant implications for epidemiology and health policy. The study will also undertake rigorous evaluations of the impact of historic changes to alcohol policies, which will provide evidence which can be used to guide future alcohol policy.
Optimising Cervical Screening After The Introduction Of HPV Vaccination In Australia: Modelling Of Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,089.00
Summary
This research project will aid decision-making about how best to perform cervical screening in Australia after the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (or HPV). The project will use computer simulation techniques to explore different scenarios for vaccination and screening and to determine the optimal approach. This project involves a group of international collaborators with expertise in a number of areas including cancer epidemiology, screening for cancer, and computer ....This research project will aid decision-making about how best to perform cervical screening in Australia after the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (or HPV). The project will use computer simulation techniques to explore different scenarios for vaccination and screening and to determine the optimal approach. This project involves a group of international collaborators with expertise in a number of areas including cancer epidemiology, screening for cancer, and computer simulation methods. HPV is the virus responsible for the development of cervical cancer, and clinical trials have demonstrated that HPV vaccines administered to adoloescent girls are very effective at preventing disease that might have led to cancer in the future. However, Australia currently has a very effective Pap smear screening program, and in the first phase after the introduction of vaccination it will be important for women to continue being screened as usual. In the long term, HPV vaccination is expected to reduce the need for Pap smears. The research will involve a very detailed simulation of how HPV is transmitted in the Australian population, and how this will change after vaccination. The simulation will address questions of importance for any future public HPV vaccination program, such as whether males should be vaccinated as well as females. The simulation will also be used to determine the optimal starting age and frequency of Pap smears in the future. The outcomes of the research will be very important for policy-makers. In the long term, this research will ensure that the best recommendations are formulated for the timing and frequency of Pap smears after HPV vaccination is introduced.Read moreRead less
Projection Of The Impact Of Climate Change On The Transmission Of Ross River Virus Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$267,645.00
Summary
There is no doubt that mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) are sensitive to climatic conditions. However, it remains unclear how climate change will influence the distribution and incidence of MBDs. This study aims to use an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to project the impact of future climate change on the transmission of Ross River virus disease - the most common and widespread MBD in Australia, and to provide scientific evidence for developing pulbic health adaptation policies.