Understanding The Likely Population Impact Of New And Improved Influenza Vaccines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,678.00
Summary
Influenza causes a large burden of death and disease each year, as well as disruptive pandemics. Vaccines that could protect against more than one season�s flu strains (including new pandemic viruses) would be highly desirable, and may be on the horizon. Our aim is to understand the likely impact of these new vaccines on the way flu viruses spread between people, and change from one season to the next. This information is needed to justify their introduction, and inform their best use.
Obesity, Overweight And Hospitalisation: Identifying Targets For Interventions To Prevent Adverse Health Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,755.00
Summary
Obesity is an important and rapidly increasing health problem, especially in indigenous communities. The proposed project investigates how obesity affects the risk of hospital admission in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, including providing evidence regarding the nature of the hospitalisation, the cost and whether specific groups are at a higher risk of obesity-related hospitalisation. In doing so it aims to identify targets for intervention to reduce obesity-related hospitalisation
Improving Risk Assessment For Recycled Water: Domestic Laundries And Recreational Parks
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$81,250.00
Summary
Recent droughts in Australia have meant that recycled water is becoming increasingly important to ensure the sustainability of our water resources. There are four different classes of recycled water (Class A, B, C and D), depending on the level of microbiological contamination. The potential level of exposure of the population to recycled water determines the class of water suitable for various reuse purposes. The need to address water recycling issues in Australia has resulted in increasing num ....Recent droughts in Australia have meant that recycled water is becoming increasingly important to ensure the sustainability of our water resources. There are four different classes of recycled water (Class A, B, C and D), depending on the level of microbiological contamination. The potential level of exposure of the population to recycled water determines the class of water suitable for various reuse purposes. The need to address water recycling issues in Australia has resulted in increasing numbers of innovative recycling schemes such as dual reticulation systems which supply two qualities of water to households, one of high quality for drinking and a second piped system delivering treated recycled water for non-potable (non-drinking) use. In this project, we will investigate the safety of using recycled water in different situations by using water with different known concentrations of micro-organisms to simulate recycled waters of different classes. Most state health authorities in Australia do not approve the use of recycled water for machine washing because of a lack of safety data, but its use in laundries could significantly reduce the need for high quality drinking water. We will perform experiments to help determine the safety of using recycled water for rinsing clothes during a washing machine cycle. Another use of recycled water is for irrigation of recreational parks. Because of safety concerns, when recycled water of Class B or C is used, some states advocate that the public must wait at least 4 hours after watering before they can gain access. This time period may be unnecessary. We will perform experiments to assess the potential exposure to micro-organisms in grass for park users at different time periods following irrigation with water of various classes. The information obtained from this project will help in the decision-making of health and water regulatory agencies.Read moreRead less
Use And Adequacy Of Diabetic Retinopathy Screening: A Whole Population Linked Data Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$219,382.00
Summary
Diabetes and its health complications are major public health issues presently facing Australia. Currently, around 7% of Australians have diabetes and it is estimated that 300 million people will be diabetic within 20-years. One major complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which is the most common cause of blindness in working-age adults. Although early treatment can prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, often there are no visual symptoms until the condition is more advanced ....Diabetes and its health complications are major public health issues presently facing Australia. Currently, around 7% of Australians have diabetes and it is estimated that 300 million people will be diabetic within 20-years. One major complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which is the most common cause of blindness in working-age adults. Although early treatment can prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, often there are no visual symptoms until the condition is more advanced and less treatable. Consequently, it is vital that people with diabetes have their eyes examined regularly. We aim to investigate the use of eye services by people with diabetes. The WA Data Linkage System provides the unique opportunity to efficiently examine the benefits of specialist eye care in diabetics within WA over a 17-year period. The study period encompasses the introduction of NHMRC guidelines for diabetic retinopathy screening in 1997. This will enable us to examine the effectiveness of these guidelines in increasing ophthalmic services use by people with diabetes. Evaluating these trends will provide important data on the effectiveness of policy and NHMRC guidelines in improving diabetic eye care, which has never been comprehensively investigated. Early intervention can prevent and delay vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, substantially reducing the personal and community burden from diabetes. The identification of poorly screened groups will enable more targeted programs to improve the use of ophthalmic series, which in turn may reduce the risk of: i) eye surgery related to diabetes, ii) injury resulting from diabetes-related vision disorder or iii) blindness. The feasibility of using linked health data to evaluate eye screening in diabetics will enable future work addressing processes of care in the prevention of other diabetic complications to be undertaken quickly and cost-effectively.Read moreRead less