Understanding The Impact Of Social, Economic And Geographic Disadvantage On The Health Of Australians In Mid - Later Lif
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,943,571.00
Summary
This research will examine the ways in which social, economic and environmental factors contribute to the health of Australians in mid to later life. It will help identify ways in which policy and preventive programs can contribute to improving health in mid to later life particularly among disadvantaged Australians. We will explore in detail social, economic and environmental factors in 100,000 people aged 45 and over; this will be the largest study of its kind ever undertaken in Australia. We ....This research will examine the ways in which social, economic and environmental factors contribute to the health of Australians in mid to later life. It will help identify ways in which policy and preventive programs can contribute to improving health in mid to later life particularly among disadvantaged Australians. We will explore in detail social, economic and environmental factors in 100,000 people aged 45 and over; this will be the largest study of its kind ever undertaken in Australia. We will examine the relationship between these social, economic factors, and lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical activity, environmental and obesity. This will enable us to identify where programs and policies should be directed to most rapidly improve the health of disadvantaged Australians.Read moreRead less
Rebuilding Sustainable Communities: Assessing Post-Tsunami Resettlement Projects in Sri Lanka and India. It is in the interests of Australia and nations in our regions to improve strategic responses to natural disasters. In addition to their catastrophic short-term effects, disasters sharply reduce employment and output and strain limited state capacity, increasing poverty and inhibiting the prospects for longer-term economic growth and social stability. The development of measures which suppor ....Rebuilding Sustainable Communities: Assessing Post-Tsunami Resettlement Projects in Sri Lanka and India. It is in the interests of Australia and nations in our regions to improve strategic responses to natural disasters. In addition to their catastrophic short-term effects, disasters sharply reduce employment and output and strain limited state capacity, increasing poverty and inhibiting the prospects for longer-term economic growth and social stability. The development of measures which support the effective rebuilding of social structures and economic activity is key to minimising adverse outcomes. By enriching our understanding of how best to support sustainable resettlement programs, the study responds to the national research priority goal of 'Safeguarding Australia: understanding our region and the world'. Read moreRead less
The identification and measurement of equity and other health sector objectives. The project will investigate public expectations and values about the health system. The results will: (i) challenge the recent WHO evaluation of health systems in which 75 percent of the total score came from objectives other than population health; (ii) provide policy makers with numerical scores to indicate the relative importance of different broad objectives (such as access and the distribution of health servic ....The identification and measurement of equity and other health sector objectives. The project will investigate public expectations and values about the health system. The results will: (i) challenge the recent WHO evaluation of health systems in which 75 percent of the total score came from objectives other than population health; (ii) provide policy makers with numerical scores to indicate the relative importance of different broad objectives (such as access and the distribution of health services and the question of access to services); (iii) provide health service researchers with numerical scores to indicate where there are higher priority services or recipients: for example, the young or those with long term disabilities.Read moreRead less
State, organisational, and team interventions to build psychosocial safety climate using the Australian Workplace Barometer and the StressCafe. The project is inspired by the nationally agreed target of 40% reduction in workplace injuries by 2012. Informed by leading indicators assessed through the Australian Workplace Barometer, this research will build evidence-based interventions at both a state, organisation, and team level to reduce risks and psychological injury. This project is promoting ....State, organisational, and team interventions to build psychosocial safety climate using the Australian Workplace Barometer and the StressCafe. The project is inspired by the nationally agreed target of 40% reduction in workplace injuries by 2012. Informed by leading indicators assessed through the Australian Workplace Barometer, this research will build evidence-based interventions at both a state, organisation, and team level to reduce risks and psychological injury. This project is promoting good health and well being, Preventative healthcare, and Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. An innovative platform will be built, the StressCafe´, for the translation of research into policy and practice, through better access by stakeholders to information and discoverable data.Read moreRead less
Obesity Prevention Among Low Income Families: Economic and Strategic Modelling. This study will inform social and economic policies to improve the access and consumption of healthy foods in low income families. This will help prevent and treat obesity in these vulnerable groups.
Early career teachers' personal wellbeing and professional commitment. Australia is facing retention difficulties in the teaching profession which will increase staffing and financial burdens on the educational and wider community. This project will document the experiences of early career teachers with a view to establishing levels of personal wellbeing and professional engagement and commitment. It is expected that the study will show that low levels of wellbeing and school climate factors are ....Early career teachers' personal wellbeing and professional commitment. Australia is facing retention difficulties in the teaching profession which will increase staffing and financial burdens on the educational and wider community. This project will document the experiences of early career teachers with a view to establishing levels of personal wellbeing and professional engagement and commitment. It is expected that the study will show that low levels of wellbeing and school climate factors are major contributors to the loss of early career teachers. This evidence will be invaluable to government and educational policymakers keen to sustain early career teachers' wellbeing and best support them to reduce attrition from the profession.Read moreRead less
Environmental Interpretation: Towards a globally relevant model for communicating with tourists from culturally diverse backgrounds. Environmental interpretation, a widely accepted approach to communicating with tourists in North America, Latin America and the U.K., is based on communication research undertaken mainly by researchers in western cultures or focused on Anglo-Saxon audiences. This project advances theory and practice by critically examining the relevance of this model for communic ....Environmental Interpretation: Towards a globally relevant model for communicating with tourists from culturally diverse backgrounds. Environmental interpretation, a widely accepted approach to communicating with tourists in North America, Latin America and the U.K., is based on communication research undertaken mainly by researchers in western cultures or focused on Anglo-Saxon audiences. This project advances theory and practice by critically examining the relevance of this model for communicating with visitors from a range of cultural backgrounds. Environmental messages, communication media and the application of environmental interpretation principles are experimentally manipulated to evaluate their relative effectiveness in communicating with international and domestic visitors from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds, as a basis for refining the model for wider application.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the National Benefit of Volunteers through Career Development in Community Organisations: A Case Study of Senior Volunteers. This project aims to determine the benefits of career development in enhancing volunteer performance and volunteer retention, with particular attention to the needs of senior volunteers. Research concerning career development is fundamentally important in the paid workforce; little investigation has occurred in the economically important and parallel area of volu ....Enhancing the National Benefit of Volunteers through Career Development in Community Organisations: A Case Study of Senior Volunteers. This project aims to determine the benefits of career development in enhancing volunteer performance and volunteer retention, with particular attention to the needs of senior volunteers. Research concerning career development is fundamentally important in the paid workforce; little investigation has occurred in the economically important and parallel area of volunteer development. The project will build on preliminary research by the Chief Investigators by developing and testing a research instrument underpinned by career development theory. The anticipated outcomes will be (a) an improved understanding of volunteer needs within an organisation through career matching and development, (b) a generic "tool kit" for organisations wishing to develop and maintain volunteers, particularly their more experienced and senior ones and (c) a benefit to the emotional and physical well-being of the community in general and volunteers in particular.Read moreRead less