Policy orientation of non-health sectors to social determinants of health. This project aims to advance understanding of how Australian government policies in four sectors (justice, environment, planning, and industry) are oriented to action on social determinants of health equity (SDHE), including Indigenous health. Evidence shows that government policy in all sectors affects health. The World Health Organization and the United Nations have called for whole-of-government approaches to SDHE. The ....Policy orientation of non-health sectors to social determinants of health. This project aims to advance understanding of how Australian government policies in four sectors (justice, environment, planning, and industry) are oriented to action on social determinants of health equity (SDHE), including Indigenous health. Evidence shows that government policy in all sectors affects health. The World Health Organization and the United Nations have called for whole-of-government approaches to SDHE. The project plans to apply theory to understand how policy values and strategies in the selected sectors provide for or present barriers to this approach. Expected project outcomes will produce evidence for policy-makers on how to strengthen policy coherence across sectors to address SDHE more effectively in order to promote Australian health and reduce health inequities.Read moreRead less
Testing the projected benefits of living in a 20-minute neighbourhood. This project aims to assess the projected lifestyle benefits associated with living in a ‘20-minute’ neighbourhood, one where important destinations are easily accessible. Urban renewal and liveability policies advocate for 20-minute neighbourhoods under the assumption these encourage more localised and healthier lifestyles. However, this has not been formally tested. This project will compare the location, diet and physical ....Testing the projected benefits of living in a 20-minute neighbourhood. This project aims to assess the projected lifestyle benefits associated with living in a ‘20-minute’ neighbourhood, one where important destinations are easily accessible. Urban renewal and liveability policies advocate for 20-minute neighbourhoods under the assumption these encourage more localised and healthier lifestyles. However, this has not been formally tested. This project will compare the location, diet and physical activity of residents of 20-minute neighbourhoods with those of residents living outside 20-minute neighbourhoods. This project expects its findings will help meet the demands of population growth and inform urban planning, public health and transport.Read moreRead less
Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, di ....Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, different stakeholder constructions of problem gambling have deadlocked debate. There is a clear need to re-think existing approaches. This project applies an innovative, social-scientific methodology specifically designed to analyse complex, real-world social problems in order to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding and treating problem gambling.Read moreRead less
Weighing the impact: How do Australian families interpret and respond to population messaging about obesity, weight loss and physical activity? How do adults and adolescents - both fat and thin - respond to the range of obesity messages that they are exposed to in their everyday lives? This study investigates the attitudes and opinions of 150 families about current obesity campaigns, and will develop a practical template for improving current obesity messaging strategies.
An investigation of the cognitive processes underlying intrusive traumatic cognition. Intrusive unpleasant thoughts and memories occur in sufferers of anxiety and depression, and are common in normal individuals. Understanding the processes underlying intrusive cognition is critical, especially in the present world climate in which the Australian public is increasingly confronted with threats of terrorism and other negative world events. This research will have the direct benefit of leading to i ....An investigation of the cognitive processes underlying intrusive traumatic cognition. Intrusive unpleasant thoughts and memories occur in sufferers of anxiety and depression, and are common in normal individuals. Understanding the processes underlying intrusive cognition is critical, especially in the present world climate in which the Australian public is increasingly confronted with threats of terrorism and other negative world events. This research will have the direct benefit of leading to improved health of sufferers of anxiety and depression in the Australian community, and has the potential to increase normal individuals' ability to contribute to society by reducing intrusions that can interfere with work productivity, promote absenteeism, and have a negative impact on general wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Changing children’s chances: Exploring pathways to developmental inequities. This project aims to investigate the causes of health and developmental inequities between Australian children. Inequities are increasingly observed in Australian children’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic learning. Such inequities are unjust, unnecessary and potentially preventable. This project aims to understand the pathways leading to these inequities by examining the many contexts in w ....Changing children’s chances: Exploring pathways to developmental inequities. This project aims to investigate the causes of health and developmental inequities between Australian children. Inequities are increasingly observed in Australian children’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic learning. Such inequities are unjust, unnecessary and potentially preventable. This project aims to understand the pathways leading to these inequities by examining the many contexts in which children and their families live and grow. Through a series of innovative analyses using existing data, the project aims to identify potentially modifiable factors at the child, family, school, and community level that contribute to developmental inequities. Understanding of the most promising leverage points for interventions to reduce inequities for Australian children could be used to inform policy.Read moreRead less
Social Mix and Social Exclusion in Disadvantaged Communities: Clarifying the Links between Policy, Practice and the Evidence Base. The project tackles an important question and one of considerable national policy significance - that of whether social mix, planned for public housing estates to reduce the spatial concentration of disadvantaged households, will result in benefits for low-income residents in those places. The conceptual framework for exploring this central question is the contempora ....Social Mix and Social Exclusion in Disadvantaged Communities: Clarifying the Links between Policy, Practice and the Evidence Base. The project tackles an important question and one of considerable national policy significance - that of whether social mix, planned for public housing estates to reduce the spatial concentration of disadvantaged households, will result in benefits for low-income residents in those places. The conceptual framework for exploring this central question is the contemporary debate about social exclusion and its corollary social inclusion. The results will have important implications for government policy makers, not to mention improving the quality of life for residents in these neighbourhoods. It will also integrate Australian research into the international debate.Read moreRead less
Retirement activity planning: a randomised controlled trial. Retirement is a life transition where people must rethink the way they use their time, but little thought is given to planning for this. This project will assess the effect of systematic pre-retirement activity planning on use of time after retirement, with an emphasis on physical activity and sedentary behaviours.
Food and trust. The health, well-being and productivity of Australian society is absolutely dependent on a trusted food system. By knowing more about consumer trust in the food system, and in expert advice, we can better tailor ways to improve communication about health and food. We may avoid the problems that have developed in countries where low public trust has damaged the effectiveness of the systems to keep food safe and healthy, and in government and industry efforts to promote better eati ....Food and trust. The health, well-being and productivity of Australian society is absolutely dependent on a trusted food system. By knowing more about consumer trust in the food system, and in expert advice, we can better tailor ways to improve communication about health and food. We may avoid the problems that have developed in countries where low public trust has damaged the effectiveness of the systems to keep food safe and healthy, and in government and industry efforts to promote better eating habits. We will also be able to compare results with those in Europe to gain an international perspective on food trust.Read moreRead less
Assisting rural communities in South Australia adapt to the health challenges of increasing temperatures and climate change. This study will investigate the effects of extreme heat, increasing temperatures and consequences of climate change, on the population health of rural communities in South Australia. Findings will inform adaptation strategies to prevent an increase in heat-associated and climate change-associated morbidity and mortality in rural areas.