Tracking blood and blood products for a healthy start to life. This project will aim to coalesce multiple data sources to track blood and blood products from supply to recipient and improve safe and appropriate blood product transfusions for mothers and newborns. Tracking blood will assist in early identification of adverse outcomes. Identification of at-risk women and babies will allow early prevention and treatment.
Immunisation Practice And Policy Development In Australia: Urgent Priorities In Prevention Of Infectious Diseases In Children, Adolescents And Pregnant Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,477.00
Summary
Our research aims to optimise protection for infants and children against serious infectious diseases causing death and disability, such as whooping cough, influenza and meningococcal disease. We will establish the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to improve protection against these infections. Our community research will determine the best ways to improve uptake of immunisation in children and in pregnant women to provide the best protection for infants and mothers.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101588
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,459.00
Summary
Do physical activity and electronic screen behaviours influence cognitive and psychosocial development in preschool children? Levels of physical inactivity and screen-based entertainment are alarmingly high among preschool children, yet little is known about the independent effects of these behaviours on cognitive and psychosocial development during early childhood. This project will investigate the associations between physical activity and screen-based entertainment and cognitive and psychosoc ....Do physical activity and electronic screen behaviours influence cognitive and psychosocial development in preschool children? Levels of physical inactivity and screen-based entertainment are alarmingly high among preschool children, yet little is known about the independent effects of these behaviours on cognitive and psychosocial development during early childhood. This project will investigate the associations between physical activity and screen-based entertainment and cognitive and psychosocial development in preschool children. The findings will identify how much and which types of these behaviours influence developmental outcomes in young children. This knowledge will benefit parents, educators, health professionals and governments to develop and implement evidence-based strategies and policies to give young children the best start in life.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101921
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,000.00
Summary
Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to ....Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to develop and implement evidence-based strategies and policies designed to optimise developmental and health outcomes in young children, specifically in those from a low socio-economic status, thus giving young children the best start in life.Read moreRead less
Acute respiratory illness and cough in children accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and associated costs. This project aims to identify how many children develop a chronic cough after acute respiratory infection, what the risk factors are, how it affects everyday life and how much it costs families and society. This information will help inform health policy and guidelines to facilitate early detection of chronic lung disease and reduce the burden of coughing illness in ....Acute respiratory illness and cough in children accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and associated costs. This project aims to identify how many children develop a chronic cough after acute respiratory infection, what the risk factors are, how it affects everyday life and how much it costs families and society. This information will help inform health policy and guidelines to facilitate early detection of chronic lung disease and reduce the burden of coughing illness in children.Read moreRead less
Inflammatory Airway Diseases In Children: Mechanisms Underlying And Preventative Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$823,008.00
Summary
Professor Sly’s research concentrates on understanding why some children develop chronic lung disease and on finding ways to prevent this from happening.
EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXPANDED NEWBORN SCREENING BY TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,250.00
Summary
Newborn babies in Australia are routinely tested for certain treatable disorders. Testing began in the 1960's with systematic testing for phenylketonuria, a rare amino acid enzyme defect. It causes severe mental retardation which can only be prevented if treatment is begun in the first few weeks of life. By 1997, only three other disorders, congenital hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, and galactosaemia, had been added to the testing protocol as tests became available. Using the new technology of ....Newborn babies in Australia are routinely tested for certain treatable disorders. Testing began in the 1960's with systematic testing for phenylketonuria, a rare amino acid enzyme defect. It causes severe mental retardation which can only be prevented if treatment is begun in the first few weeks of life. By 1997, only three other disorders, congenital hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, and galactosaemia, had been added to the testing protocol as tests became available. Using the new technology of tandem mass spectrometry (MSMS) it is now possible to screen for up to 30 extremely rare, treatable metabolic disorders simultaneously and cheaply, but it is not clear how effective this is. A formal trial of MSMS screening, randomly assigning babies to be tested or not tested, does not seem feasible because of the rarity of the individual disorders (most with a birth prevalence much less than 1: 50,000). Huge numbers would be needed in the trial for statistical significance. We began MSMS screening in NSW April 1998 and in South Australia in February 1999. Victoria is proposing to start screening now, but there are as yet no plans for this screening in the other states. We would like to assess the effectiveness of MSMS newborn screening using the best possible evidence drawn from all data available in the whole of Australia. We plan to undertake an economic evaluation, comparing costs and benefits such as development, hospitalisations, medical complications and other outcome measures, in screened and unscreened babies and also assess harms from screening. Because only 6 specialised laboratories in Australia, in Brisbane (2), Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth can diagnose these disorders, we are confident that we know of all diagnosed cases of the disorders in question. We hope to be able to show whether or not there is a benefit to affected babies by implementing newborn screening tests for these rare diseases.Read moreRead less
Strategies To Reduce The Burden Of Gastroenteritis In Aboriginal Children.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,676.00
Summary
Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children. Despite early promise, vaccines which target rotavirus seem to be less effective in low-resource settings and also amongst Australian Indigenous children. This study seeks to assess whether an extra dose of rotavirus vaccine (RV1) will improve the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccine in Aboriginal children and result in decreased admissions and clinic visits in the first three years of life.