The natural history of licit and illicit drug use in a population cohort of stimulant users. The simultaneous use of alcohol and stimulant drugs by young Australian adults is an emerging social and public health problem. This project provides urgently needed information about the causes and extent of this problem by studying patterns of drug use within a community sample of young adults over a five-year period.
Improving employment outcomes for Australians with disability. This project aims to provide evidence about how to improve employment outcomes for people with disability. Nearly one in five adult Australians have a disability and just over half of these are in the labour force; a modest increase in employment rates will have significant social and economic benefits for people with disability and society. By collecting longitudinal quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data at three ti ....Improving employment outcomes for Australians with disability. This project aims to provide evidence about how to improve employment outcomes for people with disability. Nearly one in five adult Australians have a disability and just over half of these are in the labour force; a modest increase in employment rates will have significant social and economic benefits for people with disability and society. By collecting longitudinal quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data at three time points from over 1500 jobseekers with disability, critical information should be gained about how the characteristics of employment services, workplaces and jobseekers contribute to sustainable, meaningful employment for people with disability.Read moreRead less
Planning female and male vaccination and cervical screening strategies to achieve optimal prevention of HPV-related disease. The findings from this research will inform the development of public health policy on the most cost-effective utilisation of resources for preventing cervical, anogenital and head/neck cancers, and genital warts, in women and men, due to human papillomavirus (HPV). We will evaluate strategies for using emerging screening and vaccine technologies to prevent HPV-related dis ....Planning female and male vaccination and cervical screening strategies to achieve optimal prevention of HPV-related disease. The findings from this research will inform the development of public health policy on the most cost-effective utilisation of resources for preventing cervical, anogenital and head/neck cancers, and genital warts, in women and men, due to human papillomavirus (HPV). We will evaluate strategies for using emerging screening and vaccine technologies to prevent HPV-related disease, and assess potential adverse outcomes of vaccination. Men are currently not covered by routine vaccination or screening programs; this research will assess the benefit to men of vaccinating women only, and will consider the impact of vaccination and other interventions targeted towards men.Read moreRead less
A study of the provision of the emergency contraceptive pill over-the-counter in Australia. Australian abortion rates, especially among young women, are a major concern. The emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) is an effective method for the prevention of unwanted and unplanned pregnancy, with the potential to reduce abortions. The study aims to provide evidence of whether the rescheduling of ECP in Australia so that pharmacists as well as doctors can dispense it, has improved its accessibility ....A study of the provision of the emergency contraceptive pill over-the-counter in Australia. Australian abortion rates, especially among young women, are a major concern. The emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) is an effective method for the prevention of unwanted and unplanned pregnancy, with the potential to reduce abortions. The study aims to provide evidence of whether the rescheduling of ECP in Australia so that pharmacists as well as doctors can dispense it, has improved its accessibility and use by women at risk of abortion. It will also assess whether pharmacists feel confident, well-trained and supported to provide it and whether abortion rates have reduced. The study will provide policymakers with the evidence to assess whether this important initiative is effective and what is needed to improve its effectiveness.Read moreRead less
Improving management decisions in mental health care through applications of advanced simulation modelling. Evidence to inform management decisions about the best way to structure mental health care services is currently lacking. This project will develop a simulation modelling tool that will allow managers to explore various service configurations in virtual reality, enabling predictions to be made about the cost and quality of care.
Effectiveness of Intervention Strategies to Promote Physical Activity Among Insufficiently Active Adults. This project will determine the cost-effectiveness of 2 types of physical activity (PA) interventions based around the workplace. 480 participants will be randomly assigned to PA intervention groups or controls. Interventions are either a (1) self-regulated, pedometer-based program or a (2) semi-structured, 40-day initiation to more moderately-vigorous PA. Both are designed to increase self- ....Effectiveness of Intervention Strategies to Promote Physical Activity Among Insufficiently Active Adults. This project will determine the cost-effectiveness of 2 types of physical activity (PA) interventions based around the workplace. 480 participants will be randomly assigned to PA intervention groups or controls. Interventions are either a (1) self-regulated, pedometer-based program or a (2) semi-structured, 40-day initiation to more moderately-vigorous PA. Both are designed to increase self-efficacy and impact on positive PA behaviours. Long-term, behavioural change and job-related outcomes will be evaluated by following participants for 12 months after the interventions.Read moreRead less
Chronic pain and functional impairment following traumatic injury: an investigation into the impact of compensation status and experience. This project will enhance understanding of the impact of the psychosocial factors and the compensation process on recovery from traumatic injury. The project will generate new resources (screening and referral guidelines; educational materials) to improve decision making consistency, client experience, and recovery from road trauma.
COst-effectiveness analyses of improved adherence to Management PLans among AustralIANS (COMPLIANS). Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability in the community and over $34billion is spent each year on health services in Australia treating these diseases. It is hoped that the project will lead to identification of opportunities for cost-effective prevention and treatment of lung and other chronic diseases and that this will lead to more cost-effective deployment of healthcare resourc ....COst-effectiveness analyses of improved adherence to Management PLans among AustralIANS (COMPLIANS). Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability in the community and over $34billion is spent each year on health services in Australia treating these diseases. It is hoped that the project will lead to identification of opportunities for cost-effective prevention and treatment of lung and other chronic diseases and that this will lead to more cost-effective deployment of healthcare resources. Improvements in the management and treatment of these diseases will result in an improvement in the quality of life of Australian patients, and their active and productive participation in society for as long as possible.Read moreRead less
Improving methods of grading, transferring and facilitating translation of knowledge in population health. This project will develop methods by which research in population health can be better used by policy makers. It will develop a grading system to assist research consumers to work out the best evidence. Interviews and surveys of policy makers will be conducted to work out how to optimise the way the best evidence can be used in practice.