Developing the capacity to model the impact of interventions that target high-risk drinking among young Australians. Alcohol use is a major contributing factor to social and health problems among young Australians. The project will inform the development of effective policy by providing multidisciplinary research evidence and the capacity to model how various interventions impact on the prevalence of alcohol-related problems.
Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s c ....Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s consumption of dental services, indicators of oral health and general health, and other indicators of cognitive and non-cognitive development. Using advanced econometric techniques and panel datasets, this project is expected to contribute to the development of effective policies for promoting health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
The life-course implications of declining adolescent drinking. The project aims to identify ways to ensure that recent declines in adolescent drinking are maintained and reinforced as these cohorts age into young adulthood. It expects to generate new knowledge on the trajectories of youth drinking into young adulthood. Expected outcomes include new cross-national understandings of the predictors of heavy drinking in adulthood and an updated evidence base for the development of harm prevention po ....The life-course implications of declining adolescent drinking. The project aims to identify ways to ensure that recent declines in adolescent drinking are maintained and reinforced as these cohorts age into young adulthood. It expects to generate new knowledge on the trajectories of youth drinking into young adulthood. Expected outcomes include new cross-national understandings of the predictors of heavy drinking in adulthood and an updated evidence base for the development of harm prevention policies and interventions by governments and NGOs. This should provide significant benefits to Australia via reductions in the negative health and social impacts of heavy drinking for these cohorts across their lives. Read moreRead less
Modelling community preferences for health policy: how choice experiments can inform the organisation of acute health services for older Australians. This work will provide vital information on community preferences to inform health policy regarding how we should best organise acute healthcare for older Australians. It addresses one of the most pressing health policy issues in Australia: how to maintain a sustainable, equitable and responsive health care system, in the face of an ageing populati ....Modelling community preferences for health policy: how choice experiments can inform the organisation of acute health services for older Australians. This work will provide vital information on community preferences to inform health policy regarding how we should best organise acute healthcare for older Australians. It addresses one of the most pressing health policy issues in Australia: how to maintain a sustainable, equitable and responsive health care system, in the face of an ageing population.Read moreRead less
Understanding recent Australian trends in alcohol consumption and harms. This project aims to provide critical insight into recent trends in alcohol consumption and related harm in Australia. Many indicators of harm from alcohol have increased dramatically in the past decade, while drinking behaviours appear largely unchanged. This project aims to investigate two potential explanations for these trends: that apparent increases in rates of alcohol-related harm are driven by operational or adminis ....Understanding recent Australian trends in alcohol consumption and harms. This project aims to provide critical insight into recent trends in alcohol consumption and related harm in Australia. Many indicators of harm from alcohol have increased dramatically in the past decade, while drinking behaviours appear largely unchanged. This project aims to investigate two potential explanations for these trends: that apparent increases in rates of alcohol-related harm are driven by operational or administrative practices rather than by increases in actual harm; and that stable per-capita consumption data obscures divergent drinking behaviours, with increases among heavy drinkers driving increasing harm rates. The project aims to inform alcohol policy debates, which rely on robust trend data.Read moreRead less
Understanding and reducing alcohol-related harm among young adults in urban settings: Opportunities for intervention. Alcohol use is a major contributing factor to injury and death, with 2634 young Australians dying from alcohol-related causes in the decade to 2004. Local governments (LGs) urgently require research evidence on which to base policy to reduce alcohol-related harms. The project will provide an analysis of patterns of alcohol consumption by young adults in inner and peri-urban (grow ....Understanding and reducing alcohol-related harm among young adults in urban settings: Opportunities for intervention. Alcohol use is a major contributing factor to injury and death, with 2634 young Australians dying from alcohol-related causes in the decade to 2004. Local governments (LGs) urgently require research evidence on which to base policy to reduce alcohol-related harms. The project will provide an analysis of patterns of alcohol consumption by young adults in inner and peri-urban (growth corridor) LG areas, along with information about how young adults view alcohol use. In collaboration with industry partners VicHealth, the Victorian Department of Human Services, the Municipal Association of Victoria and LGs in Hume and Yarra, specific policy recommendations for implementation at LG, state and national levels will be developed and disseminated. Read moreRead less
Alcohol’s harm to others: patterns, costs, disparities and precipitants. This project aims to generate understanding of the magnitude, character, economic burden, disparities and precipitants of occurrence of alcohol’s harm to others across Australia, using a national survey, crime, community services and health data and qualitative interviews. The project outcome will be a robust current evidence base for our partners, government and Australian society to underpin advocacy, policy and planning, ....Alcohol’s harm to others: patterns, costs, disparities and precipitants. This project aims to generate understanding of the magnitude, character, economic burden, disparities and precipitants of occurrence of alcohol’s harm to others across Australia, using a national survey, crime, community services and health data and qualitative interviews. The project outcome will be a robust current evidence base for our partners, government and Australian society to underpin advocacy, policy and planning, aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm and suffering.Read moreRead less
An assessment of late night alcohol restrictions in Queensland. An assessment of late night alcohol restrictions in Queensland. This project aims to assess the effect of 2.00am cease of alcohol service for licensed venues across Queensland, identify modifiable elements and develop policy advice. Alcohol-related harm is a major social order issue which requires evidence-based policy. Using the most sophisticated models to date—including outlet density, enforcement, demographic variables and other ....An assessment of late night alcohol restrictions in Queensland. An assessment of late night alcohol restrictions in Queensland. This project aims to assess the effect of 2.00am cease of alcohol service for licensed venues across Queensland, identify modifiable elements and develop policy advice. Alcohol-related harm is a major social order issue which requires evidence-based policy. Using the most sophisticated models to date—including outlet density, enforcement, demographic variables and other variables—this project will build unique datasets, including archival data, foot-traffic counting, key stakeholder and patron interviews, to evaluate the effect of alcohol restrictions and identify policy lessons for other jurisdictions in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in? In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implication ....Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in? In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implications of flexible work practices are considered in recent reviews of the Fair Work Act and the Modern Award Review Process. The research fills a policy vacuum in relation to the health impacts of the temporalities of working life, and will contribute to understanding time as both a cultural and economic resource. Read moreRead less
Does risk-based licensing of alcohol sales reduce alcohol-related harm? Alcohol-related harm is a major public health and social order issue which requires sophisticated evidence-based policy. This project capitalises on a unique window of policy adoption across Australia to investigate the introduction of risk-based licensing schemes for the sale of alcohol, assessing their impacts, identifying modifiable elements and developing policy advice. There is an urgent need for evidence about which in ....Does risk-based licensing of alcohol sales reduce alcohol-related harm? Alcohol-related harm is a major public health and social order issue which requires sophisticated evidence-based policy. This project capitalises on a unique window of policy adoption across Australia to investigate the introduction of risk-based licensing schemes for the sale of alcohol, assessing their impacts, identifying modifiable elements and developing policy advice. There is an urgent need for evidence about which interventions are effective, and which of these can survive the political process. It builds on the team’s extensive work and unique datasets around alcohol policy and licensed venues to analyse archival data, key stakeholder interviews and venue observations in three states, using the most up-to-date and reliable methods.Read moreRead less