Which Mental Activities And When For Dementia Prevention? The Four Nations Longitudinal Collaboration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$183,218.00
Summary
We will examine the link between lifetime participation in complex mental activities and long term dementia risk in a level of detail not previously possible. Four major studies of brain health from around the world will join forces for the first time to determine which mental activities are most closely linked to protection from dementia, and when during the lifespan these are most important. Mental activity will be assessed using our recently published Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire.
Predictors And Correlates Of Health-related Quality Of Life And Morbidity In Overweight/obese Adolescents: Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,525.00
Summary
There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and ....There is now no doubting the size and long-term risks to health of the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very little research has examined at population level its immediate consequences for mental health and physical functioning, what pathways confer risk and protection for these consequences, and their likely healthcare consequences. This study will utilise an existing cohort of approximately 1500 Victorian adolescents followed since childhood to examine neglected aspects of the genesis and impacts of overweight and obesity. The Health of Young Victorians Study was originally assembled in 1997 when the children were in Grades Prep-3. In addition to information on putative risk and protective factors for overweight-obesity and direct measures of height and weight, it is unique in having collected data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) since children were first recruited during the early primary school years. Eight years after the first wave, the children will be adolescents in Grades 8-11. This third wave will retain a focus on HRQoL. Innovations include study of potential emotional, behavioural and physical consequences of childhood obesity that may in turn affect the natural history of obesity. This large, population-based longitudinal study will redress neglected aspects of child and adolescent overweight-obesity specifically identified in 2003 by the NH and MRC. As well as establishing whether a range of common problems are related to overweight-obesity, it will be able to shed light on mechanisms of adverse outcomes associated with adolescent overweight-obesity, and study protective factors predicting remitting overweight from childhood to adolescence that may inform preventive activities. The study will make an international contribution to knowledge about pathways, prevalence and preventive opportunities for child and adolescent overweight-obesity.Read moreRead less
Genetic And Environmental Risk Factors For Colorectal Cancer: Anatomic Site Specificity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,000.00
Summary
Cancer of the large bowel (colorectal cancer) is the second most common cancer in Australians and is becoming more common. Despite this, there is still much uncertainty about what causes some people to develop this cancer. We believe that some of this uncertainty arises because there are actually different causes of cancer for different sections of the colon and rectum. This study aims to collect information from 1000 people with colorectal cancer and 1000 people without colorectal cancer, and c ....Cancer of the large bowel (colorectal cancer) is the second most common cancer in Australians and is becoming more common. Despite this, there is still much uncertainty about what causes some people to develop this cancer. We believe that some of this uncertainty arises because there are actually different causes of cancer for different sections of the colon and rectum. This study aims to collect information from 1000 people with colorectal cancer and 1000 people without colorectal cancer, and compare various factors such as their genetic makeup, diet, AND lifestyle. We expect to find that some factors are more common in people with cancer in the upper parts of the bowel, while other factors are more common in people with cancer in the lower parts of the bowel. This kind of information can be used to design programs to prevent colorectal cancer. For example, we might advise people to exercise more or eat more fish in order to decrease their chances of developing this cancer.Read moreRead less
Novel Genetic And Environmental Modifiers Of The Risk Of Iron Overload-related Disease In HFE-associated Hereditary Haemochromatosis In Cohort Of Middle-aged Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,716.00
Summary
People who carry mutations in the HFE gene are pre-disposed to body iron overload but not all of them developed subsequent disease. According to the investigators of the “HealthIron” study in Melbourne, only 28% of men and 1% of women with faulty HFE genes go on to develop disease. This study has recruited more than 1,000 people from the community, and will determine which environmental and genetic risk factors stop people with iron overload from getting symptoms of disease.
Novel Molecular Markers Of Lung Cancer Risk And Survival
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$824,765.00
Summary
Lung cancer remains the most lethal cancer worldwide, yet little is known of the risk factors beyond that of tobacco smoking and certain occupational exposures. We have assembled a large international consortium comprising 24 cohort studies and over 10,000 to validate associations between B-vitamins and lung cancer risk particularly in never and former smokers. We propose to expand this study and use the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study and the rest of the consortium to identify novel biomar ....Lung cancer remains the most lethal cancer worldwide, yet little is known of the risk factors beyond that of tobacco smoking and certain occupational exposures. We have assembled a large international consortium comprising 24 cohort studies and over 10,000 to validate associations between B-vitamins and lung cancer risk particularly in never and former smokers. We propose to expand this study and use the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study and the rest of the consortium to identify novel biomarkers of risk and survival.Read moreRead less
Genetic Epidemiology Of Endometrial Cancer: Towards Understanding Aetiology And Improving Risk Prediction.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,573.00
Summary
Studies investigating thousands of genetic markers have revolutionised our understanding of genes involved in cancer, and shown that a single gene can be associated with multiple cancers. We will conduct the largest ever study to find new genes for endometrial cancer, the most common gynaecological cancer. Our unique approach will examine >11million markers across the genome, some specifically in regions known to be important for other cancers. Findings will be used for risk prediction models ....Studies investigating thousands of genetic markers have revolutionised our understanding of genes involved in cancer, and shown that a single gene can be associated with multiple cancers. We will conduct the largest ever study to find new genes for endometrial cancer, the most common gynaecological cancer. Our unique approach will examine >11million markers across the genome, some specifically in regions known to be important for other cancers. Findings will be used for risk prediction models.Read moreRead less
Clinical, Environmental And Genetic Factors And The Risk Of Oesophageal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$145,685.00
Summary
Oesophageal cancer is a rapidly fatal disease which is becoming more common in Australia, the United States and other industrialised nations. This study will examine the mechanisms leading to the development of oesophageal cancer and aims to measure the effects of genes and environment on the burden of cancer. Ultimately, this research will help target persons at highest risk so that screening, prevention and surveillance efforts can be directed more effectively.
POPULATION-LEVEL RELEVANCE OF RISK FACTORS FOR CANCER
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$319,692.00
Summary
This research will provide novel up-to-date evidence-based information on the population-level relevance of lifestyle-related risk factors for cancer in Australia, by applying an advanced disease burden measure to established Australian cohort studies. This knowledge on the national cancer burden is essential for targeting cancer interventions for those at highest risk and evaluating their effectiveness.
The proportion of the population over 65 years of age is increasing, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of disability and death in this group of people. Angina, heart failure and stroke in elderly people often result in considerable disability and in many instances in a need for changed living circumstances such as admission to nursing homes. Consequently there is an important need to understand how to prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases in elderly people. Although CVD oc ....The proportion of the population over 65 years of age is increasing, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of disability and death in this group of people. Angina, heart failure and stroke in elderly people often result in considerable disability and in many instances in a need for changed living circumstances such as admission to nursing homes. Consequently there is an important need to understand how to prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases in elderly people. Although CVD occurs much more frequently in older persons, much of the epidemiological information on CVD risk factors and risk estimation comes from studies of middle-aged populations. Recently there has been an increased focus on whether the established relationships hold or differ in the elderly. This has generated debate about the relative value and effectiveness of treating risk factors in elderly people. This study, which is based on comprehensive and long-term risk factor, mortality and morbidity data from the Busselton Health Study and Health in Men Study, will lead to a better understanding of classic and new CVD risk factors in older persons and will contribute positively to the debate about the relative value and effectiveness of attempting to modify risk factors in the elderly. Further, it will facilitate improved methods for CVD risk assessment in older people and hence assist in determining whether which preventive actions to implement in the elderly.Read moreRead less