Case-control Studies Of Completed And Attempted Suicide In Young People In NSW
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$819,000.00
Summary
Youth suicide rates have been increasing dramatically over the last three to four decades. The causes and determinants of these suicide rate changes remain unclear, as do the causes and determinants of the suicides themselves. Despite a range of risk factors being identified by researchers, predicting an individual suicide is difficult due to the range of factors involved and the complex interactions between them. This study will investigate associations between individual and environmental fact ....Youth suicide rates have been increasing dramatically over the last three to four decades. The causes and determinants of these suicide rate changes remain unclear, as do the causes and determinants of the suicides themselves. Despite a range of risk factors being identified by researchers, predicting an individual suicide is difficult due to the range of factors involved and the complex interactions between them. This study will investigate associations between individual and environmental factors for both completed suicides and suicide attempts in young people aged 18-34 years living in NSW. The study will be undertaken in Sydney, Newcastle and in identified rural areas. The study is embedded in existing treatment, counselling and support services and will aid their improvement and augmentation. Cases of suicide and attempted suicide will be compared with community controls, and also completed suicides with attempted suicides, to identify potentially modifiable risk factors associated with suicidal behaviour. This will provide more comprehensive information relating to how various risk factors interact and influence suicidal behaviour, including in rural areas with significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Information from this study will improve prevention initiatives and assist with community strategic development and provide evidence to enhance current health service and coronial interventions.Read moreRead less
Mortality In Young Offenders Who Have Had Custodial Sentences
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$60,448.00
Summary
The proposal seeks funding to investigate the death rate in young people who have received custodial sentences. There is evidence in the literature and anecdotal evidence from workers in the field that young offenders are at particularly high risk of dying from drug overdose, violently or by suicide, yet deaths in this group have not yet been investigated in Australia. As far as we are aware, there are also no reports worldwide of standardised mortality rates for young offenders who have been in ....The proposal seeks funding to investigate the death rate in young people who have received custodial sentences. There is evidence in the literature and anecdotal evidence from workers in the field that young offenders are at particularly high risk of dying from drug overdose, violently or by suicide, yet deaths in this group have not yet been investigated in Australia. As far as we are aware, there are also no reports worldwide of standardised mortality rates for young offenders who have been incarcerated. A group of young people who have received their first custodial sentences between 1988 and 1999 in Victoria will be identified, starting with 10 year olds in 1988. Their details will then be matched with data held by The National Death index, housed at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and with the Victorian Coroner's data in order to identify deaths that have occurred, the cause of death and the circumstances of death. This will provide an index of the excess deaths experienced by this group of young offenders compared with Victorian population data for the same age group and gender. Further analysis will elucidate cause specific mortality, will enable the identification of subgroups at particular risk and the examination of trends over time. The study will provide a solid foundation for health priorities, the development of interventions and policy in relation to young offenders. It will provide a resource for Australasia and be of worldwide interest. Juvenile offenders are a well-defined group who has extended contact with support services. There is a unique opportunity for the delivery of interventions aimed at improving the welfare and adult outcomes of this enormously disadvantaged and marginalised section of our community. The Centre for Adolescent Health, as the auspicing body for the Adolescent Forensic Health Service is in an excellent position to respond to this challenge.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness, Cost-effectiveness And Equity Of Strategies To Reduce The Burden Of Obesity-related Conditions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$46,900.00
Summary
Decision-makers need a systematic, coordinated approach to the targeting and prioritisation of preventive strategies. But the evidence base for obesity interventions is for the most part small, narrow in approach, limited in impact, and lacking in cost-effectiveness and equity information. This thesis will add to the evidence base regarding the nature of the obesity epidemic in Australia and internationally and the relative cost-effectiveness of strategies to reduce the obesity burden.
Translation Of Effective Interventions In Injury Prevention And Trauma Care To A Chinese Setting
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,407.00
Summary
Evidence informed injury policy is not currently well developed in China. This research project will provide measures of the effectiveness of both a trauma care protocol in a hospital setting, and an intervention program for novice driver education-training in China, and will therefore contribute to the building of an evidence based injury prevention capacity in China.
Risk Factors For Serious Farm-work Related Injury Among Adult Males
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,930.00
Summary
This study addresses occupational injury among male adult farm workers. The health and safety performance of agricultural industries is among the worst in Australia. A recently published study of work-related fatalities from 1989 to 1992 found that rural industries ranked third, with a fatality rate 3-4 times that for all industries. The rural industries accounted for 80 deaths annually. Best estimates place the cost of farm injury between $0.5 and $1.29 billion per year. This study is designed ....This study addresses occupational injury among male adult farm workers. The health and safety performance of agricultural industries is among the worst in Australia. A recently published study of work-related fatalities from 1989 to 1992 found that rural industries ranked third, with a fatality rate 3-4 times that for all industries. The rural industries accounted for 80 deaths annually. Best estimates place the cost of farm injury between $0.5 and $1.29 billion per year. This study is designed to contribute to farm injury prevention by: (1) identifying factors associated with a higher risk of serious injury among adult farm workers and (2) determining the proportions of the farm workforce who are exposed to various injury risks. The study will recruit 300 seriously injured or killed farm workers from regional Victoria and collect information about themselves, their working life and the property on which they work. This information will be compared with 600 randomly selected farm workers who are not seriously injured to determine which personal, work and environmental factors place farm workers at higher risk of injury. The study will lead to the development of new or more refined prevention strategies and programs. A study of this kind has not been conducted before in Australia and would contribute to a continuing scientific basis for selection of interventions for farm injury and targeting of prevention programs, at a time of increasing momentum in agricultural health and safety.Read moreRead less
Road Traffic Injury Prevention: A Public Health Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,558.00
Summary
The proposed research program will have a positive impact on road safety in Australia, particularly for young drivers, by using a series of intervention and observational studies to provide strong evidence for policy makers, and build research capacity. Furthermore, the development and adaptation of effective road safety interventions for low income countries in the region has the potential to improve health and economic conditions for many people in these countries.
I am a public health academic leading a multi-disciplinary research team and working with multi-sector partners, studying the impact of the BE on physical and mental health outcomes. My research helps build the evidence required to change policy and pract
Reducing The Injury And Disease Burden Attributable To Alcohol: Methodological, Aetiological And Intervention Studies.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,412.00
Summary
The research examines the influence of individual, social and environmental factors on drinking behaviour, and seeks to determine the effectiveness of strategies to prevent alcohol-related harm, with a particular focus on youth drinking. A series of studies is proposed, examining the validity of methods for measuring drinking behaviour; social and environmental factors, and interventions. The findings will have relevance to reducing the burden of alcohol-related injury and disease in Australia.