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
Critical windows: understanding changes in eating and physical activity over the transition from secondary school to young adulthood. This project will explain changes in eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviour during the critical period of transition from secondary school to young adulthood. It will provide important information on how we can assist adolescents to maintain a healthy lifestyle over a time characterised by several major life changes.
Development and evaulation of novel foods enriched with very long chain omega-3 fatty acids. This project is a collaborative effort between Meadow Lea Foods, Clover Corporation, and the Universities of Wollongong and Western Australia. The aims are 1) to develop a range of functional foods enriched with omega-3 from tuna oil; 2) to see whether the recommended omega-3 intake, currently nor met by most Australians, can be achieved by including these foods in the diet; 3) to evaluate sensory and he ....Development and evaulation of novel foods enriched with very long chain omega-3 fatty acids. This project is a collaborative effort between Meadow Lea Foods, Clover Corporation, and the Universities of Wollongong and Western Australia. The aims are 1) to develop a range of functional foods enriched with omega-3 from tuna oil; 2) to see whether the recommended omega-3 intake, currently nor met by most Australians, can be achieved by including these foods in the diet; 3) to evaluate sensory and health attributes and other factors that may impact on consumer acceptability hence market potential of the food range. There is little evidence of the feasibility let alone health and social benefits of utilising novel foods to meet the dietary omega-3 recommendation. We expect a) to show how consumers could benefit by using a range of such foods in their customary diet; b) to critically set this achievement within the context of current social trends in food product development. Read moreRead less
Implementing guidelines to prevent chronic disease in the community. The burden of chronic disease in Australia has resulted in prevention of chronic disease being an important priority for the Australian health system. High quality evidence for preventing chronic disease exists; however the practice falls short of the evidence. Finding ways to implement the evidence for preventing chronic disease is an urgent national need. This study aims to apply the evidence for preventing chronic disease in ....Implementing guidelines to prevent chronic disease in the community. The burden of chronic disease in Australia has resulted in prevention of chronic disease being an important priority for the Australian health system. High quality evidence for preventing chronic disease exists; however the practice falls short of the evidence. Finding ways to implement the evidence for preventing chronic disease is an urgent national need. This study aims to apply the evidence for preventing chronic disease in practice. It will generate data and validate a model on how to effectively improve the uptake of guidelines by both practitioners and consumers. This project is of national and community benefit because it will enable the potential of preventing chronic disease to be realised.Read moreRead less
Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of ....Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of chronic, life-threatening disease in families and individuals. If proven effective, this tool can be rolled out nationwide to help promote and maintain healthier diets in Australian families and reduce the economic burden on the government.Read moreRead less
Screening and responding to domestic violence experienced by refugee women. We will adapt and test an evidence-based intervention to identify and address domestic violence with newly arrived refugee women, partnering with Settlement Services International, one of Australia’s largest providers of settlement programs. Domestic violence is the lead contributor to premature death among Australian women, and costs $22 b each year, with refugee women at heightened risk. This study will compare outcome ....Screening and responding to domestic violence experienced by refugee women. We will adapt and test an evidence-based intervention to identify and address domestic violence with newly arrived refugee women, partnering with Settlement Services International, one of Australia’s largest providers of settlement programs. Domestic violence is the lead contributor to premature death among Australian women, and costs $22 b each year, with refugee women at heightened risk. This study will compare outcomes for women who receive the intervention to controls and culturally sensitive, scaleable tested tools. This intervention should reduce the human and financial cost of domestic violence among refugee and other vulnerable migrant women, providing tools to settlement services to address this complex, hidden problem. Read moreRead less
Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupati ....Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupational health and safety role on the job in the afternoon day shift and the early morning during night shift work.. Furthermore, it will improve general quality and productivity of life in a culture of increasing fatigue.Read moreRead less
A screening human health risk assessment for developing coal seam gas water resources in Queensland, Australia. Due to its rich coal seam deposits, Queensland is projected to become Australia's leading coal seam gas (CSG) producer, contributing significantly to the State's economy and national "clean" energy targets. Over a 30 year period, it is estimated that Queensland's CSG industry could also create by-product water of sufficient volume to beneficially augment the State's future water supply ....A screening human health risk assessment for developing coal seam gas water resources in Queensland, Australia. Due to its rich coal seam deposits, Queensland is projected to become Australia's leading coal seam gas (CSG) producer, contributing significantly to the State's economy and national "clean" energy targets. Over a 30 year period, it is estimated that Queensland's CSG industry could also create by-product water of sufficient volume to beneficially augment the State's future water supply demands. The proposed screening Health Risk Assessment will evaluate the relative risks associated with human exposure to raw and treated CSG by-product water contaminants, informing public debate on this matter, and guide policy development within the complex multi-sector regulatory framework in place for CSG water resource development in Queensland.Read moreRead less
Sexual health and relationships in young Indigenous people. Despite higher notified rates of sexually transmissible infections and blood borne viruses and often negative depictions of young indigenous people, very little is known of the health and well being of young Indigenous people. This project will for the first time provide a national profile of risk behaviours, levels of knowledge and the types of health services young Indigenous people access for sexual health and blood borne viruses. Th ....Sexual health and relationships in young Indigenous people. Despite higher notified rates of sexually transmissible infections and blood borne viruses and often negative depictions of young indigenous people, very little is known of the health and well being of young Indigenous people. This project will for the first time provide a national profile of risk behaviours, levels of knowledge and the types of health services young Indigenous people access for sexual health and blood borne viruses. The findings of this research will set the foundations for a longer term strategy to ensure trends and behaviours can be identified among the population and where necessary interventions can be implemented. Read moreRead less
The development of a potent new passive immunotherapeutic for the treatment and prevention of bacterial sepsis and septic shock. Bacterial sepsis and septic shock is a leading cause of death in hospital intensive care units and represents a significant public health burden. By developing a new passive immunotherapeutic regimen to treat and prevent bacterial sepsis and septic shock, the project aims to reverse the significant mortality and morbidity associated with this condition.