An examination of the factors shaping recent developments in youth drinking. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Australian teenagers who drink alcohol has halved. This project aims to understand the drivers of this major shift in teenage drinking behaviour. Initial work has shown that drinking has declined across demographic, socio-economic and cultural groups. This project plans to use mixed methods to analyse new and existing data to examine four potential drivers of this generational c ....An examination of the factors shaping recent developments in youth drinking. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Australian teenagers who drink alcohol has halved. This project aims to understand the drivers of this major shift in teenage drinking behaviour. Initial work has shown that drinking has declined across demographic, socio-economic and cultural groups. This project plans to use mixed methods to analyse new and existing data to examine four potential drivers of this generational change in behaviour. Understanding the reasons behind this shift is important both to expand knowledge about the socio-cultural conditions shaping teenage alcohol consumption practices, and to support and maintain these trends through informed social policy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101260
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,821.00
Summary
Tackling obesity: What role for behavioural and standard economics? The international community is grappling with the obesity epidemic. Behavioural economics has gained international attention by offering insights into individual decision making that can potentially be used in policy to nudge individuals to change their behaviour to improve their health. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding its likely success in this endeavour. This project uses discrete choice and economic laborato ....Tackling obesity: What role for behavioural and standard economics? The international community is grappling with the obesity epidemic. Behavioural economics has gained international attention by offering insights into individual decision making that can potentially be used in policy to nudge individuals to change their behaviour to improve their health. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding its likely success in this endeavour. This project uses discrete choice and economic laboratory experiments to investigate social acceptability of, and predicted behaviour change in response to, a range of behavioural and standard economic inspired policies. Results will inform optimal investment and targeting of policy to prevent and reduce obesity.Read moreRead less
Addressing time scarcity: feasible strategies for a healthy future. Lack of time is the main reason people say they don't exercise, take public transport or eat healthy food, and for many Australians (especially parents who combine working with raising children) time pressure is acute. This program of research will provide ways to reduce time barriers, to make healthy and sustainable living more feasible.
Advancing occupational stress research: a comprehensive trial of the Healthy Workplaces program. The project will provide a comprehensive controlled trial of an innovative stress management intervention focusing on leadership development, in one police service. Pilot results indicated significant improvements in both leader and subordinate’s health and job performance and produced economic savings.
Flexible methods for latent variable models applied to Health Economics. This project aims to develop flexible and powerful methods for estimating models containing variables that are unobserved, that is, latent. Such models are often used to capture individual heterogeneity and time dependence in data collected on individuals, with each individual observed for several time periods. Latent variables can also infer group membership, where such membership is unavailable from the data. The intended ....Flexible methods for latent variable models applied to Health Economics. This project aims to develop flexible and powerful methods for estimating models containing variables that are unobserved, that is, latent. Such models are often used to capture individual heterogeneity and time dependence in data collected on individuals, with each individual observed for several time periods. Latent variables can also infer group membership, where such membership is unavailable from the data. The intended methodology is Bayesian and based on new particle methods that allow users to select between models and predict future observations even in complex situations. The research aims to inform decision making through improved use of data in health economics and related fields.Read moreRead less
How eating patterns interact with activity, sleep and mood. This project aims to understand temporal eating patterns (the timing and distribution of food intake and eating occasions across the day) among adults and how these eating patterns interact with activity and sleep patterns. Eating, activity and sleep patterns form a lifestyle triad which may be important for well-being and productivity. The project will study eating, activity and sleep patterns in daily life, to examine their social dri ....How eating patterns interact with activity, sleep and mood. This project aims to understand temporal eating patterns (the timing and distribution of food intake and eating occasions across the day) among adults and how these eating patterns interact with activity and sleep patterns. Eating, activity and sleep patterns form a lifestyle triad which may be important for well-being and productivity. The project will study eating, activity and sleep patterns in daily life, to examine their social drivers, interactions and effect on mood. This project could enable these behaviours to be targeted, with the potential to promote healthy lifestyles and improve health, quality of life and productivity.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the public health approach to evidence-based parenting support: efficacy of a low intensity online intervention. Child conduct problems are among the most frequently diagnosed conditions in mental health services and often lead to long-term damaging consequences. This research examines the effects of a brief online parenting intervention to help parents become more skilled in their role, leading to better child adjustment and wellbeing.
Outcomes and predictors of change resulting from participation in a brief parenting intervention for parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Childhood diabetes is a significant public health problem, and yet existing interventions fail to address the psychosocial sequelae of the condition or assist parents with managing children's behavioural and emotional problems. Traditional approaches use a medical/educational model and this study will be the first to use a stringent methodological approac ....Outcomes and predictors of change resulting from participation in a brief parenting intervention for parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Childhood diabetes is a significant public health problem, and yet existing interventions fail to address the psychosocial sequelae of the condition or assist parents with managing children's behavioural and emotional problems. Traditional approaches use a medical/educational model and this study will be the first to use a stringent methodological approach to evaluate the efficacy of a brief, group-based parenting intervention. It is expected that participating in the intervention will reduce ineffective parenting practices, and lead to improved child adjustment. Theoretically, the study will examine predictors of change to enhance our understanding of who benefits from the program, addressing a critical gap in the parenting literature. Read moreRead less
Evaluation of a brief parenting intervention for parents of children suffering asthma or eczema. Childhood illnesses create a great burden for Australian families and many parents struggle with keeping their child healthy and well adjusted. This research will examine the effects of a brief parenting intervention to help parents become more skilled and confident in their role, leading to better child adjustment, health and wellbeing.
Increasing the quality of goods donated to charities: Two field trials. This project aims to trial three social marketing programs using controlled field experiments in partnership with Queensland Government and the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations. Controlled community pilot programs are planned as a means to identify the effective program for implementation nation wide by charitable recycling organisations in Year 3 of the project. The planned research aims to incre ....Increasing the quality of goods donated to charities: Two field trials. This project aims to trial three social marketing programs using controlled field experiments in partnership with Queensland Government and the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations. Controlled community pilot programs are planned as a means to identify the effective program for implementation nation wide by charitable recycling organisations in Year 3 of the project. The planned research aims to increase the quality of goods donated to Australian charities. Increases in the quality of goods donated to Australian charities delivers cost savings that can in turn be used to provide essential services to support more Australians who are in need. Read moreRead less