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Obesity, Self Image, Eating Behaviour, Nutriton And Activity In Australian Preadolescent School Children.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$167,328.00
Summary
Obesity in children is increasing, but there is a great deal of concern about whether education about diet and obesity will produce eating disorders. While there is a lot of information about the eating practices, body image worries and self esteem in teenagers, there is no information really available about what primary school children in this country know about eating, about whether they diet or not, where they get their information about dieting and about their self esteem and body image part ....Obesity in children is increasing, but there is a great deal of concern about whether education about diet and obesity will produce eating disorders. While there is a lot of information about the eating practices, body image worries and self esteem in teenagers, there is no information really available about what primary school children in this country know about eating, about whether they diet or not, where they get their information about dieting and about their self esteem and body image particularly if they are overweight or very thin. It is important to gather this information as it is in the teen years that problems about eating and body image really emerge. These concerns must be starting in primary school children, This study aims to gather this information and more from 2442 primary school children across NSW. This information will enable proper education programs about eating, body image and obesity to be developed so no harm is caused by trying to reduce obesity. This study will also gather important information about how many children are obese or have eating disorders and will see what part their physical activity plays in their weight and the way they go about controlling it. To have healthy adults in the next generation, with less obesity and eating problems, it is important to gather information about nutrition and eating beliefs, dieting, body image and self esteem in children now.Read moreRead less
Personalising The Delivery Of E-mental Health Interventions For Eating Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,429.00
Summary
This Investigator Grant aims to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an eHealth prevention and treatment program using a stepped-care approach. Findings are expected to show that eating disorders can be effectively and efficiently treated and prevented through low intensity, cheap, and widely available digital interventions, and by doing so it will directly address the unmet needs of people with or at risk for an eating disorder in a practical, scalable, and cost-effective manner.
Preventing Obesity And Promoting Healthy Body Image In Australian Secondary Schools: A Web-based System Tailored To Individual Needs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,320,398.00
Summary
This study will test an individually tailored body image and weight management program. The program is delivered online to students in early secondary school and builds on our partnership with Stanford University adapting internet programs for use in Australia. Staying Fit Australia gives individual guidance about concerns and attitudes to weight and shape, nutrition and physical activity. The program aims to prevent obesity and promote healthy nutrition and physical activity in all adolescents.
An Internet Based Intervention For Overweight Or Obese Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$676,768.00
Summary
This project will compare weight loss in a group of overweight and mildly obese adolescents who receive standard treatment with a group who receive an internet delivered program that offers suggestions for increasing physical activity and making healthier food choices as well as a counselling support program. The enhanced program will allow the participants to record their progress and will provide feedback and encouragement to continue.
An Investigation Of The Aetiology Of Eating Disorders: Interactions Between Genes And Environmental Risk Factors.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$225,000.00
Summary
Eating disorders, along with substance abuse, carry the highest risk of premature death, from both natural and unnatural causes, out of 27 mental disorder categories. Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, affect about 6% of Australian women. Despite increased levels of research into the aetiology of eating disorders over the last 20 years, little knowledge exists as to which risk factors cause women to attempt weight loss to the point of increa ....Eating disorders, along with substance abuse, carry the highest risk of premature death, from both natural and unnatural causes, out of 27 mental disorder categories. Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, affect about 6% of Australian women. Despite increased levels of research into the aetiology of eating disorders over the last 20 years, little knowledge exists as to which risk factors cause women to attempt weight loss to the point of increasing their risk of premature mortality. A review of twin studies in eating disorders concludes that there is increasing evidence to suggest that genetic factors play a role in the development of eating disorders. In addition, a recent series of studies, examining risk factors before the age of eating disorder onset, have found the following events to specifically predict the development of an eating disorder as opposed to another psychiatric condition: negative self-evaluation, parental alcoholism, low parental contact and high parental expectations, critical comments about weight, shape or eating during childhood, and childhood obesity. To date, no studies have attempted to integrate the findings from twin studies with the findings from early risk factor studies. Specifically, the ways in which genes interact with the environment to increase the chances of genetic vulnerability to an eating disorder being expressed have not been examined. The proposed project seeks to investigate precisely these interactions between genes and the environment, by examining a large number of female twins, aged 29-37. An enhanced understanding of how genes interact with the environment to either increase the chances that a woman will develop an eating disorder, or alternatively to protect a woman from developing an eating disorder, will benefit our understanding of how to target prevention and treatment strategies.Read moreRead less
A Novel Approach For The Treatment Of Obesity: Examining The Potential Of Addiction Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$765,935.00
Summary
Difficulty in managing food intake, especially highly palatable food, can result in obesity and the health liabilities associated with being overweight. In its extreme, the difficulty reducing food intake resembles an addictive disorder. We have compelling preliminary data which show deficits in the brain associated with addiction are also found in diet-induced obesity. Therefore strategies used to treat addiction can potentially be used to treat obesity.
Bringing Fields Together: Identifying Individuals At Risk Of Eating Disorders In Weight Management Programs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$594,144.00
Summary
A major barrier in improving obesity and eating disorder care is the hotly debated issue of eating disorder risk following weight management. Using 'big data' methods and international collaborations, we will analyse individual-level data from weight management trials with eating disorder assessments, and deconstruct these complex interventions into their smallest 'active ingredients'. We will translate findings into recommendations so that treatment approaches can be tailored to individuals.
An inability to resist a temptation or repeated failures of self-regulation can lead to 'impulsive' and 'compulsive' behaviours that relate to a host of personal and social problems (eg., excessive eating, gambling, and substance use). Despite this, very little research has studied the neural and psychological underpinnings of these behaviours. My research will take advantage of recent innovations and approaches to fill this void and have implications for diagnosis and treatment.