Environmental Exposure, Human Behaviour And Respiratory Health For Children With Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$344,644.00
Summary
This research program will examine whether environment and behaviour work together on asthma for Australian children. Calculation on satellite-derived data will establish updated knowledge base for assessing childhood asthma in relation to residential green spaces and local climate. Significance of the research lies in the high prevalence of asthma in Australian children. Findings will help health workers allocate resources for preventing asthma attacks and provide evidence for urban planning.
The Role Of Psychosocial Factors On Recovery Following Early Brain Insult.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$255,475.00
Summary
Early brain insult (EBI) is a major cause of developmental delay and long-term disability. However, outcome following EBI is variable and dependent on multiple injury-related and non-injury-related factors. To date, most research has focussed on injury-related variables such as age at insult, nature of brain pathology, and size and site of brain lesion. These injury-related factors predict short-term recovery following EBI, however they have been found to account for a surprisingly modest portio ....Early brain insult (EBI) is a major cause of developmental delay and long-term disability. However, outcome following EBI is variable and dependent on multiple injury-related and non-injury-related factors. To date, most research has focussed on injury-related variables such as age at insult, nature of brain pathology, and size and site of brain lesion. These injury-related factors predict short-term recovery following EBI, however they have been found to account for a surprisingly modest portion of variance in long-term outcome. Thus, non-injury-related factors must also contribute to outcome following EBI. Research now suggests that psychosocial characteristics (social status, environmental conditions, parenting characteristics, family dynamics) influence long-term outcome following EBI, however these studies have focussed on bivariate relationships, relied on specific patient groups limiting the generalisability of findings, and utilised small to moderate samples that are inadequate when investigating complex interactive relationships. As a consequence, the role of psychosocial factors on recovery following EBI is still unclear. The objective of this project is to undertake a large-scale investigation of the independent and interactive contribution of social status, environmental conditions, parenting characteristics and family dynamics on outcome following EBI. The aim is to identify the psychosocial characteristics that predict outcome, mediate recovery, and buffer the impact of injury-related factors in children with EBI. Understanding these complex inter-relationships is crucial for rehabilitation purposes, as many psychosocial characteristics are fluid and at least partially modifiable. Based on this project's findings we intend to devise and trial appropriately focussed intervention programs that aid recovery and minimise long-term disabilities.Read moreRead less
Urban Green Space And The Health Of Aboriginal People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,541.00
Summary
This study will look at the effect of park land, gardens and other areas of publicly accessible natural environment on the health of Aboriginal children, specifically obesity and physical exercise, living in communities located in major cities and inner regional areas.
Transgenerational Impacts Of Paternal Stress On Offspring Mental Health: Epigenetic Mechanisms And Therapeutic Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$572,941.00
Summary
We are following up the extraordinary, almost ‘Lamarckian’, discovery that environmental influences on fathers can affect their offspring via ‘epigenetic’ changes to the sperm. We will explore mechanisms whereby increased levels of paternal stress can cause behavioural changes in the offspring, which are relevant to depression and anxiety disorders, and how positive environmental factors, including physical activity, may induce beneficial effects. This will have major public health implications.
Re-imagining Environments For Connection And Engagement: Testing Actions For Social Prescribing In Natural Spaces
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,750.00
Summary
This project will evaluate whether and how nature-based social prescribing (NBSP) can address mental well-being. We will experimentally test the effectiveness of NBSP in promoting connection among populations experiencing social isolation and loneliness with socially oriented opportunities in safe, inclusive and accessible, green and blue outdoor urban spaces. The project will build the evidence base for the value of NBSP investments in improving mental health.
Early Environmental Determinants Of Pancreatic Islet Autoimmunity: A Pregnancy To Early Life Cohort Study In Children At Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,124,069.00
Summary
The doubling in incidence of type 1 diabetes in children over the last 20 years may be explained by our modern environment, including excessive weight gain in pregnancy and early life, inadequate dietary omega- 3 fatty acids or vitamin D, or viral infections. We therefore aim to study children with a family member with type 1 diabetes from the pregnancy and through early childhood to determine the effects of the environment on their risk of developing type 1 diabetes .This will lead to strategie ....The doubling in incidence of type 1 diabetes in children over the last 20 years may be explained by our modern environment, including excessive weight gain in pregnancy and early life, inadequate dietary omega- 3 fatty acids or vitamin D, or viral infections. We therefore aim to study children with a family member with type 1 diabetes from the pregnancy and through early childhood to determine the effects of the environment on their risk of developing type 1 diabetes .This will lead to strategies to prevent type 1 diabetes.Read moreRead less
Centre Of Research Excellence For The Protection Of Pancreatic Beta Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,607,110.00
Summary
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder that results in the destruction of the pancreatic beta cells. The overall aim of the CRE is to elucidate the gene-environment interactions and modifiable environmental exposures that are driving the development of islet autoimmunity and progression to T1D. The CRE will unify and add value to new and established collaborations with multi-disciplinary input from genomics, bioinformatics and systems biology into the investigation of T1D.
Built Environments And Child Health In WalEs And AuStralia (BEACHES)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$797,256.00
Summary
A better understanding of how the built environment drives obesity in children will inform evidence-based planning policy and practice strategies to prevent the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in future generations. We will bring together five large UK and Australian cohort studies to understand how complex and interacting built environment factors influence modifiable risk factors (physical inactivity, sedentary time, unhealthy diet) for NCD’s across childhood.