Evaluation of a psychological anti-doping intervention for athletes. This project builds on previous research that developed a psychological profile of athletes susceptible to doping. The primary objective is to refine and pilot an intervention involving psycho-educational activities and exercises that can be used to reduce an athlete's susceptibility to doping. Current anti-doping programs focus on knowledge of banned substances, reporting and testing requirements, and penalties for noncomplian ....Evaluation of a psychological anti-doping intervention for athletes. This project builds on previous research that developed a psychological profile of athletes susceptible to doping. The primary objective is to refine and pilot an intervention involving psycho-educational activities and exercises that can be used to reduce an athlete's susceptibility to doping. Current anti-doping programs focus on knowledge of banned substances, reporting and testing requirements, and penalties for noncompliance. These programs ignore psychological variables that may render an athlete susceptible to doping. The successful application of the psychological anti-doping intervention is expected to provide an internationally significant contribution to doping prevention and the social science research on which it is based.Read moreRead less
Citizen engagement: Listening to citizens' views about Australia's health system and prevention. This project will yield new and important perspectives from citizens on preventive health and health promotion, which can be used to develop better targeted and more effective prevention and promotion policies and strategies. Citizens views will be investigated in relation to vexed issues such as: new approaches to financing and program delivery, reorienting the health insurance sector, reorienting ....Citizen engagement: Listening to citizens' views about Australia's health system and prevention. This project will yield new and important perspectives from citizens on preventive health and health promotion, which can be used to develop better targeted and more effective prevention and promotion policies and strategies. Citizens views will be investigated in relation to vexed issues such as: new approaches to financing and program delivery, reorienting the health insurance sector, reorienting the health system to focus more on prevention and health promotion, improving current approaches of consumer participation in prevention and chronic disease management, tackling broader issues in public policy trade-offs between health and non-health, diversifying workforce roles and involving health professionals in prevention and promotion.Read moreRead less
A prospective investigation of self-injury, suicidal ideation and psychological distress in Australian secondary school students. Suicide prevention has been a national priority for the past 10 years. Self-injury is a predictor of suicide, results in considerable distress for family and friends and is associated with significant health care expenditure. In addition the known correlates of self-injury, such as depression and substance use, also pose significant burden to society and are themselve ....A prospective investigation of self-injury, suicidal ideation and psychological distress in Australian secondary school students. Suicide prevention has been a national priority for the past 10 years. Self-injury is a predictor of suicide, results in considerable distress for family and friends and is associated with significant health care expenditure. In addition the known correlates of self-injury, such as depression and substance use, also pose significant burden to society and are themselves predictors of suicide. Understanding the nature and extent of self-injury in Australian adolescents, and the causal relationships between self-injury, suicidal ideation and psychological distress, will improve the care given to those who self-injure, improve their well-being, decrease their chances of further self-injury, and decrease the chance they will die by suicide.Read moreRead less
Do perceptions of morality of alcohol, tobacco & cannabis use influence uptake in high school? In Australia, the cost of drug use was estimated at $34.4 billion in 1998-89. Preventing or delaying alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among adolescents is a way of reducing substance use among adults, and therefore, reduces the health, social and economic costs associated with substance use. This study will assess the protective/vulnerability effect of a range of variables on youth substance use i ....Do perceptions of morality of alcohol, tobacco & cannabis use influence uptake in high school? In Australia, the cost of drug use was estimated at $34.4 billion in 1998-89. Preventing or delaying alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among adolescents is a way of reducing substance use among adults, and therefore, reduces the health, social and economic costs associated with substance use. This study will assess the protective/vulnerability effect of a range of variables on youth substance use including morality and legitimacy concepts. These data will guide the development of curriculum components to enhance the effect of school-based interventions with respect to substance use, and provide practical recommendations for community interventions targeted at substance use.Read moreRead less
What works best for youth smoking prevention messages? In Australia, tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease, resulting in over 19,000 deaths annually. The morbidity and mortality associated with smoking costs the community over $21 billion a year. People who start smoking when they are young are more likely to smoke heavily as adults, to become more dependent on nicotine and to be at increased risk of smoking-related illness or death. This research study will provi ....What works best for youth smoking prevention messages? In Australia, tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease, resulting in over 19,000 deaths annually. The morbidity and mortality associated with smoking costs the community over $21 billion a year. People who start smoking when they are young are more likely to smoke heavily as adults, to become more dependent on nicotine and to be at increased risk of smoking-related illness or death. This research study will provide practical recommendations for future tobacco control television advertising targeted at youth in terms of the elements featured in tobacco control advertisements that increase advertising effectiveness. Read moreRead less
Can and should we link data at a national level? Vaccine safety surveillance: A case study. This project provides many benefits for the community, exploring the legal and ethical issues around consent for data linkage, convening Citizens' Juries to weigh the evidence and make recommendations. It addresses National Research Priorities: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and Safeguarding Australia as well as National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy priorities. It uses vaccine sa ....Can and should we link data at a national level? Vaccine safety surveillance: A case study. This project provides many benefits for the community, exploring the legal and ethical issues around consent for data linkage, convening Citizens' Juries to weigh the evidence and make recommendations. It addresses National Research Priorities: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and Safeguarding Australia as well as National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy priorities. It uses vaccine safety surveillance as a case study to evaluate the effectiveness of data linkage (through linking Commonwealth immunisation data to state hospital data) and the methodologies and lessons learnt from cross jurisdictional data linkage can be transferred to other areas. Read moreRead less
Multi-dimensional Temporal Abstraction to Support Neonatal Clinical Research. Each year, the death of a baby causes grief for thousands of Australian parents, contributes to depression and considerable anxiety in the population. In this work we propose procedures that will significantly reduce this unhappy scenario. The availability of a complex trend and pattern analysis will give Neonatologists access to predictive clinical analysis that has not previously been available locally or internation ....Multi-dimensional Temporal Abstraction to Support Neonatal Clinical Research. Each year, the death of a baby causes grief for thousands of Australian parents, contributes to depression and considerable anxiety in the population. In this work we propose procedures that will significantly reduce this unhappy scenario. The availability of a complex trend and pattern analysis will give Neonatologists access to predictive clinical analysis that has not previously been available locally or internationally. Thus, significant benefits in terms of lower mortality rates and lower long-term disability rates among babies requiring special care is possible. This research will provide the basis for future projects that will support regional hospitals.Read moreRead less
Global Corporate Challenge Evaluation: The evaluation of a low-cost, low-impact physical-activity workplace intervention. Societal increases in obesity and physical inactivity have led to consideration of workplace interventions as a potential for improving health. However, long-term evaluations of such interventions are rare. Here we will evaluate the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), which engages employees to participate in a four month pedometer-based program aimed at increasing their physic ....Global Corporate Challenge Evaluation: The evaluation of a low-cost, low-impact physical-activity workplace intervention. Societal increases in obesity and physical inactivity have led to consideration of workplace interventions as a potential for improving health. However, long-term evaluations of such interventions are rare. Here we will evaluate the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), which engages employees to participate in a four month pedometer-based program aimed at increasing their physical activity levels. We will follow 1000 participants for two years to determine the short and long-term health benefits of the program and to provide insight into factors that may improve the success of such programs. Such findings are essential for appropriate government and industry policy decisions in this area of chronic disease prevention. Read moreRead less
Planning female and male vaccination and cervical screening strategies to achieve optimal prevention of HPV-related disease. The findings from this research will inform the development of public health policy on the most cost-effective utilisation of resources for preventing cervical, anogenital and head/neck cancers, and genital warts, in women and men, due to human papillomavirus (HPV). We will evaluate strategies for using emerging screening and vaccine technologies to prevent HPV-related dis ....Planning female and male vaccination and cervical screening strategies to achieve optimal prevention of HPV-related disease. The findings from this research will inform the development of public health policy on the most cost-effective utilisation of resources for preventing cervical, anogenital and head/neck cancers, and genital warts, in women and men, due to human papillomavirus (HPV). We will evaluate strategies for using emerging screening and vaccine technologies to prevent HPV-related disease, and assess potential adverse outcomes of vaccination. Men are currently not covered by routine vaccination or screening programs; this research will assess the benefit to men of vaccinating women only, and will consider the impact of vaccination and other interventions targeted towards men.Read moreRead less
The development of emotion regulation strategies and their relationships with psychological wellbeing: A long-term follow-up study. A largely neglected area, emotion regulation in young people will be comprehensively examined. The first of its kind worldwide, this research will provide a rich understanding of the development of emotion regulation over the course of development from late childhood to early adulthood. An understanding of the role played by emotion regulation in wellbeing will prov ....The development of emotion regulation strategies and their relationships with psychological wellbeing: A long-term follow-up study. A largely neglected area, emotion regulation in young people will be comprehensively examined. The first of its kind worldwide, this research will provide a rich understanding of the development of emotion regulation over the course of development from late childhood to early adulthood. An understanding of the role played by emotion regulation in wellbeing will provide important foundations for the development of intervention and prevention strategies that incorporate emotional functioning processes. This is predicted to result in a marked increase in the efficacy of existing prevention and intervention efforts which will lead to significant health care cost savings and social benefits, particularly for our youth.Read moreRead less