Tracking blood and blood products for a healthy start to life. This project will aim to coalesce multiple data sources to track blood and blood products from supply to recipient and improve safe and appropriate blood product transfusions for mothers and newborns. Tracking blood will assist in early identification of adverse outcomes. Identification of at-risk women and babies will allow early prevention and treatment.
Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention: Effective directions for practice. Violence against women is a significant issue of policy effort and community concern. In the past decade, there has been an increasing emphasis on the need to engage men and boys in preventing and reducing men’s violence against women, both nationally and internationally. However, little is known about what works and does not work. Using robust evaluations of key strategies and interventions, this project aims to pr ....Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention: Effective directions for practice. Violence against women is a significant issue of policy effort and community concern. In the past decade, there has been an increasing emphasis on the need to engage men and boys in preventing and reducing men’s violence against women, both nationally and internationally. However, little is known about what works and does not work. Using robust evaluations of key strategies and interventions, this project aims to produce a systematic framework for effective practice in engaging men and boys in preventing violence against women. It aims to produce both significant scholarly insights regarding gender and violence prevention and practical directions for policy and programming.Read moreRead less
The changing meanings of human eggs in fertility, assisted reproduction and stem cell research. Australian women are faced with difficult choices regarding when to have children. Assisted reproductive technologies for donating and banking fertile oocytes (eggs) are becoming important elements in these choices. This research will improve public and professional understanding of the changing meanings oocytes have for various groups of women.
A critical public health examination of complementary self-medication in later life in indigenous, non-indigenous and CALD communities. This project aims to provide the first in-depth coordinated critical public health examination of an unregulated and 'covert' area of health and treatment seeking behaviour - complementary self-medication (CAM SM) use in later life. It will focus on healthy ageing and living with chronic illness and draw upon fieldwork with Indigenous, non-Indigenous and cultura ....A critical public health examination of complementary self-medication in later life in indigenous, non-indigenous and CALD communities. This project aims to provide the first in-depth coordinated critical public health examination of an unregulated and 'covert' area of health and treatment seeking behaviour - complementary self-medication (CAM SM) use in later life. It will focus on healthy ageing and living with chronic illness and draw upon fieldwork with Indigenous, non-Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. This project aims to identify the challenges of, and possibilities for, 'covert' CAM SM use in later life. It will provide an evidence-base to inform safe, effective care and policy for older Australians and generate novel analyses to provide significant advances and new directions for public health scholarship with regards to chronic illness and community health in later life.Read moreRead less
A community-based approach to the problem of underage drinking. This project will aim to reduce the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related harms, among young people aged 12-17 years by addressing social norms regarding underage alcohol consumption. Using a multi-component intervention it will engage the Illawarra community in strategies to encourage and empower young people not to drink.
Improving health and criminal justice outcomes among Australia's offender population using a multi-disciplinary, all of government approach. Offender populations comprise some of the most marginalised and socially excluded individuals in society. With this comes poor health, engagement in risk behaviours and reduced social outcomes. Violence, mental health, infectious diseases, and substance misuse are all characteristics of offender populations and have a huge impact on the wider community. The ....Improving health and criminal justice outcomes among Australia's offender population using a multi-disciplinary, all of government approach. Offender populations comprise some of the most marginalised and socially excluded individuals in society. With this comes poor health, engagement in risk behaviours and reduced social outcomes. Violence, mental health, infectious diseases, and substance misuse are all characteristics of offender populations and have a huge impact on the wider community. The research programme linked to this application will collect new information aimed at reducing this impact and also develop a much needed intervention to reduce violent reoffending. Indigenous people are over-represented in the Australian prison system and will benefit from the work programme associated with this application.Read moreRead less
Developing a research focus on the health and quality of life of adolescents in the Northern Territory. The Youth Futures program will focus on the health and well being of adolescents in the Northern Territory, 40 per cent of whom are Indigenous. This project will provide an evidence base to inform health policy, identify transformative life skills and the ways to translate these into practice.
Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk ....Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk of poor mental health, absenteeism, and exit from the workforce. This project will analyse data following people over time to investigate the long-term health and employment consequences of poor psychosocial job quality, and consider the special case of mature age workers. It will identify those individuals at greatest risk, and factors that can buffer against the adverse effects of poor quality work.Read moreRead less
Positive Computing: The design of technologies that support psychological wellbeing. Designing future technology to foster psychological wellbeing has the potential to affect population-wide positive change. The design of software like apps or social media, can impact things like cyber-bullying, depression, or even foster resilience. This project aims to connect experts across multiple disciplines (psychology, technology and policy) to develop pioneering methods, knowledge, and strategies that w ....Positive Computing: The design of technologies that support psychological wellbeing. Designing future technology to foster psychological wellbeing has the potential to affect population-wide positive change. The design of software like apps or social media, can impact things like cyber-bullying, depression, or even foster resilience. This project aims to connect experts across multiple disciplines (psychology, technology and policy) to develop pioneering methods, knowledge, and strategies that will allow future technologies to play an active role in improving health, performance, and quality of life for all Australians, through research-based design for wellbeing. In doing so, Australia will lead the way on the technological front in a growing global initiative to improve the wellbeing of nations.Read moreRead less
Interpreting intrusions: Illuminating the cognitive mechanisms that fuel obsessional thought. This project aims to evaluate a theoretical model regarding the causal and maintaining role that cognitive biases play in obsessional thought. Obsessions are common in the general population and negatively impact health and daily functioning. Individuals struggle with their obsessions but are unable to disengage from them. A pressing question is: what makes an obsession so “sticky”? To answer this quest ....Interpreting intrusions: Illuminating the cognitive mechanisms that fuel obsessional thought. This project aims to evaluate a theoretical model regarding the causal and maintaining role that cognitive biases play in obsessional thought. Obsessions are common in the general population and negatively impact health and daily functioning. Individuals struggle with their obsessions but are unable to disengage from them. A pressing question is: what makes an obsession so “sticky”? To answer this question, this project aims to employ a novel, computerised experimental methodology to directly manipulate cognitive processes proposed to underpin obsessions. This methodology will be used to alter key biases proposed to drive obsessional thinking, thus shedding light on core psychological mechanisms.Read moreRead less