Community-Led Sanitation Interventions :The Role of Social Capital. The economic and social wellbeing of its neighbours is important for Australia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and the sharing of expertise. This research aims to enhance the effectiveness of financial aid by investigating the extent to which social capital is important in determining the success of a community-led development project. Thus, this research contributes to a body of knowledge that informs d ....Community-Led Sanitation Interventions :The Role of Social Capital. The economic and social wellbeing of its neighbours is important for Australia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and the sharing of expertise. This research aims to enhance the effectiveness of financial aid by investigating the extent to which social capital is important in determining the success of a community-led development project. Thus, this research contributes to a body of knowledge that informs development policy, leading to more effective use of aid funds and to a more prosperous and safe region.
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Living Standards, HIV/AIDS and its Impact on the Next Generation. The spread of HIV /AIDS is a major international challenge, particularly for developing countries. Its direct impact is mostly among working-age adults, leading to significant loss of labour income and capacity to care for children. Australia has made a sizeable aid commitment in this area and to addressing poverty and nutritional deprivation more generally. Through improved understanding of the interrelationships between wealt ....Living Standards, HIV/AIDS and its Impact on the Next Generation. The spread of HIV /AIDS is a major international challenge, particularly for developing countries. Its direct impact is mostly among working-age adults, leading to significant loss of labour income and capacity to care for children. Australia has made a sizeable aid commitment in this area and to addressing poverty and nutritional deprivation more generally. Through improved understanding of the interrelationships between wealth, HIV / AIDS and its impact on children, the project will provide valuable insight to guide Australia's aid efforts, as well as contributing to global efforts to understand the epidemic and its potential effects on the next generation.Read moreRead less
Childhood obesity, physical activity and wellbeing: Discovering the influence of children's understandings and experiences of places, spaces and communities. The study aims to discover 3-13 yr old children's understandings, perceptions & experiences of physical activity & associated places & spaces. Childhood obesity is a modern 'epidemic' & governments agree that low physical activity levels contribute significantly. Epidemiological & clinical research has been undertaken, but we lack Australia ....Childhood obesity, physical activity and wellbeing: Discovering the influence of children's understandings and experiences of places, spaces and communities. The study aims to discover 3-13 yr old children's understandings, perceptions & experiences of physical activity & associated places & spaces. Childhood obesity is a modern 'epidemic' & governments agree that low physical activity levels contribute significantly. Epidemiological & clinical research has been undertaken, but we lack Australian studies that systematically listen to & understand the pivotal voices of children themselves. Failure to develop such theoretically sound, practice-based understandings may mean ineffective interventions that misunderstand children's worlds. This collaborative study unites highly experienced researchers, practitioners & policy makers who will actively involve children in creating & using new knowledge.Read moreRead less
Cumulative Harm: Reducing child abuse through improved decision-making. In 2005/06 56,000 cases of child abuse were substantiated in Australia, and this figure is rising exponentially. Disillusionment is growing with an incident based approach to children's safety which fails to either acknowledge or intervene effectively in the cumulative effects of harm to the child's development and well-being. This project uses the leverage of new legislation to re-focus on an earlier intervention with vulne ....Cumulative Harm: Reducing child abuse through improved decision-making. In 2005/06 56,000 cases of child abuse were substantiated in Australia, and this figure is rising exponentially. Disillusionment is growing with an incident based approach to children's safety which fails to either acknowledge or intervene effectively in the cumulative effects of harm to the child's development and well-being. This project uses the leverage of new legislation to re-focus on an earlier intervention with vulnerable children at risk of cumulative harm within a hospital setting. An interdisciplinary lens is bought to the development of new knowledge to provide a better and healthier start to life for this group of children.Read moreRead less
Diagnosis of depressive disorder and risk for depression in adolescents using acoustic speech analysis. Depression is the most common mental health problem in young people in Australia. Early diagnosis can minimise the disturbance of typical functioning and development of social and academic skills. Current assessment techniques consume significant time in urgent clinical situations, where an immediate assessment of risk is required. An automatic diagnostic system will provide an important objec ....Diagnosis of depressive disorder and risk for depression in adolescents using acoustic speech analysis. Depression is the most common mental health problem in young people in Australia. Early diagnosis can minimise the disturbance of typical functioning and development of social and academic skills. Current assessment techniques consume significant time in urgent clinical situations, where an immediate assessment of risk is required. An automatic diagnostic system will provide an important objective indicator giving an immediate quantitative assessment of the mental state of a patient. The quantitative measure given by the diagnostic system proposed will give physicians and therapists an improved metric by which they can gauge the effectiveness of various treatments in reducing depression and suicidality. Read moreRead less
Maternal mental health and anaemia as determinants of infant health and development in resource constrained settings. A healthy start to life is an explicit Australian priority. Maternal health is a major determinant of the health and development of infants. This international collaborative project will contribute evidence about two maternal health conditions: mental disorders and anaemia, and their effects on infant health and development, through research in Vietnam where both are prevalent. ....Maternal mental health and anaemia as determinants of infant health and development in resource constrained settings. A healthy start to life is an explicit Australian priority. Maternal health is a major determinant of the health and development of infants. This international collaborative project will contribute evidence about two maternal health conditions: mental disorders and anaemia, and their effects on infant health and development, through research in Vietnam where both are prevalent. The findings will inform interventions to improve the health of mothers and infants in all resource-constrained settings, including among indigenous and refugee groups in Australia. It will advance Australia's international relations by strengthening a partnership with Viet Nam and contributing to a World Health Organization priority area. Read moreRead less
A mortality profile of Victoria's Aboriginal (and non-Aboriginal) children 1998-2008 using an innovative method and research process. The development of a population mortality profile of Victoria's children that includes accurate Indigenous identification will provide robust information to assess the effectiveness of programs interventions and policies aimed at reducing preventable deaths in children. This research will contribute to state, national and international imperative to improve the co ....A mortality profile of Victoria's Aboriginal (and non-Aboriginal) children 1998-2008 using an innovative method and research process. The development of a population mortality profile of Victoria's children that includes accurate Indigenous identification will provide robust information to assess the effectiveness of programs interventions and policies aimed at reducing preventable deaths in children. This research will contribute to state, national and international imperative to improve the collection of Aboriginal death information in order to allow meaningful comparisons between Australian jurisdictions and Aboriginal people globally. The consistent imput of the Aboriginal community and relevant experts in all phases of the project will enable and strengthen links with those who can influence government and policy makers to effect change.Read moreRead less
Preventing mental health problems in children: a population-based cluster controlled trial. The National Mental Health Survey (2000) found 1 in 7 children have externalising (aggression) and internalising (anxiety, depression) problems. Early mental health problems beget later problems with high costs to society, including clinical, remedial education and criminal justice services. Hence, early prevention is vital for national well-being and productivity. The few preventive early childhood progr ....Preventing mental health problems in children: a population-based cluster controlled trial. The National Mental Health Survey (2000) found 1 in 7 children have externalising (aggression) and internalising (anxiety, depression) problems. Early mental health problems beget later problems with high costs to society, including clinical, remedial education and criminal justice services. Hence, early prevention is vital for national well-being and productivity. The few preventive early childhood programs to date are limited in effectiveness and not truly population-based. The proposed parenting / family support trial aims to overcome these obstacles, by comparing and costing two approaches that can be implemented within whole communities. The trial will help clarify optimal primary care to prevent mental health problems early in life.Read moreRead less
Autism and written narrative: discourse analysis and the characterisation of higher level language disorder phenotypes. This work contributes to the national research priority goal 'A healthy start to life', in advancing our understanding of the language disorder of autism. It is expected to benefit the children, their families and the community in furthering the basic research necessary for the development of new measures of performance, of use in the better assessment of children with language ....Autism and written narrative: discourse analysis and the characterisation of higher level language disorder phenotypes. This work contributes to the national research priority goal 'A healthy start to life', in advancing our understanding of the language disorder of autism. It is expected to benefit the children, their families and the community in furthering the basic research necessary for the development of new measures of performance, of use in the better assessment of children with language disorders and in the design and targeting of intervention programs. This work is cutting edge internationally in the approach it takes to the naturalistic language of children with autism. Hence it will raise the profile of Australia in this research domain.Read moreRead less
A study investigating the feasibility of implementing a national approach to child and family health services. Understanding and strengthening the way in which universal health services are provided to pregnant women, children and families has the potential to impact over a million Australian families annually. The findings of this study will have national application as federal, state and territory governments work towards implementing a national approach to child and family health services. Th ....A study investigating the feasibility of implementing a national approach to child and family health services. Understanding and strengthening the way in which universal health services are provided to pregnant women, children and families has the potential to impact over a million Australian families annually. The findings of this study will have national application as federal, state and territory governments work towards implementing a national approach to child and family health services. The findings will inform effective multidisciplinary collaboration and service integration, address service gaps and duplication and lead to increased access to services. This study will generate new knowledge about characteristics of organisations, service delivery and professions that facilitate or hinder innovation.Read moreRead less