Safer cycling: A partnership project to better understand cycling patterns, hazards and incidents. Cycling is the ultimate 'clean fuel' energy source, is renewable, and is sustainable. It can also positively impact on national health concerns such as cardiovascular health, obesity, and diabetes. If cycling is to be encouraged as a health-promoting practice, or as a sustainable form of transport, then it is incumbent on governments to address injury concerns to ensure that its benefits outweigh i ....Safer cycling: A partnership project to better understand cycling patterns, hazards and incidents. Cycling is the ultimate 'clean fuel' energy source, is renewable, and is sustainable. It can also positively impact on national health concerns such as cardiovascular health, obesity, and diabetes. If cycling is to be encouraged as a health-promoting practice, or as a sustainable form of transport, then it is incumbent on governments to address injury concerns to ensure that its benefits outweigh its risks and to provide an environment that minimises risk and optimises the transport advantages. This project will provide understanding of cycling patterns, hazards and incidents. It will provide vital knowledge to inform policy and planning with respect to transport and health and inform future health and safety promotional campaigns.Read moreRead less
Gender, Local Governance, and Violence Prevention: Making the Links. Violence results in enormous social and economic costs to individuals and to Australian society. Part of the problem is that crime and violence in public space, and violence in homes, are considered separate issues in research and policy. This project will pilot innovative integrated violence prevention programs in four local government areas (including one rural-urban fringe and one rural municipality). Training materials a ....Gender, Local Governance, and Violence Prevention: Making the Links. Violence results in enormous social and economic costs to individuals and to Australian society. Part of the problem is that crime and violence in public space, and violence in homes, are considered separate issues in research and policy. This project will pilot innovative integrated violence prevention programs in four local government areas (including one rural-urban fringe and one rural municipality). Training materials and workshops based on these programs will be developed that can inform local, state, and national violence prevention strategies in both urban and rural/regional areas.Read moreRead less
Improving child safety in cars. This study aims to reduce the number of children killed and injured as passengers in car crashes. These deaths and injuries currently impose huge social and emotional costs on the community and the families involved. Any injury will compromise child health and development, and many result in temporary or long-term disability and care needs. From an economic viewpoint alone, child passenger fatalities and injuries have been conservatively estimated to cost in ex ....Improving child safety in cars. This study aims to reduce the number of children killed and injured as passengers in car crashes. These deaths and injuries currently impose huge social and emotional costs on the community and the families involved. Any injury will compromise child health and development, and many result in temporary or long-term disability and care needs. From an economic viewpoint alone, child passenger fatalities and injuries have been conservatively estimated to cost in excess of $400 million per year. Thus, this research will contribute to both social and economic savings and contribute to better health outcomes for the nation's childrenRead 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
Time of day, time awake and alcohol: the effects on fatigue and performance. The results of this study will clarify the effects of sleep deprivation and time of day on the experiences of fatigue and on performance. This information will have a direct impact on policy and practice relating to the management of fatigue. The results will have a direct impact on community safety, especially on the road and in the workplace. The study therefore has direct relevance for guidelines and regulations de ....Time of day, time awake and alcohol: the effects on fatigue and performance. The results of this study will clarify the effects of sleep deprivation and time of day on the experiences of fatigue and on performance. This information will have a direct impact on policy and practice relating to the management of fatigue. The results will have a direct impact on community safety, especially on the road and in the workplace. The study therefore has direct relevance for guidelines and regulations deveoped by bodies such as national and state road safety and workplace health and safety bodies.Read moreRead less
Alcohol use and harm minimisation among Australian university students. Alcohol-related harms cost Australians over $15.3 billion per year, and in 2008 were described by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as having reached 'epidemic proportions'. Young people are at greatest risk of alcohol-related damage and university students are among the heaviest drinkers, with up to 70% engaging in binge drinking. By examining the social dynamics of university students' drinking practices and their understanding of ....Alcohol use and harm minimisation among Australian university students. Alcohol-related harms cost Australians over $15.3 billion per year, and in 2008 were described by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as having reached 'epidemic proportions'. Young people are at greatest risk of alcohol-related damage and university students are among the heaviest drinkers, with up to 70% engaging in binge drinking. By examining the social dynamics of university students' drinking practices and their understanding of harm minimisation, together with the policies and measures offered by colleges and State health authorities, the proposed project will yield a new evidence base and innovative theoretical approach for developing fresh strategic harm minimisation interventions.Read moreRead less