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Acute respiratory illness and cough in children accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and associated costs. This project aims to identify how many children develop a chronic cough after acute respiratory infection, what the risk factors are, how it affects everyday life and how much it costs families and society. This information will help inform health policy and guidelines to facilitate early detection of chronic lung disease and reduce the burden of coughing illness in ....Acute respiratory illness and cough in children accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and associated costs. This project aims to identify how many children develop a chronic cough after acute respiratory infection, what the risk factors are, how it affects everyday life and how much it costs families and society. This information will help inform health policy and guidelines to facilitate early detection of chronic lung disease and reduce the burden of coughing illness in children.Read moreRead less
Evaluating Neonatal Intensive Care For Tiny Babies In The 2000s - Is It Still Effective, Efficient And Available?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$246,333.00
Summary
Most extremely tiny babies, those of birthweight less than 1000 g, need intensive care to survive. However some survivors have substantial problems with their long-term health. Since intensive care is costly we must be sure that it is money well spent. From the late 1970s until the late 1990s in the state of Victoria neonatal intensive care has been increasingly effective, with large increases in the long-term survival rate, from 25% in 1979-80, to 73% in 1997. Its efficiency has been relatively ....Most extremely tiny babies, those of birthweight less than 1000 g, need intensive care to survive. However some survivors have substantial problems with their long-term health. Since intensive care is costly we must be sure that it is money well spent. From the late 1970s until the late 1990s in the state of Victoria neonatal intensive care has been increasingly effective, with large increases in the long-term survival rate, from 25% in 1979-80, to 73% in 1997. Its efficiency has been relatively high and stable over time, comparing favorably with many other health care programmes, both intensive and non-intensive. It has been increasingly available, with fewer than 10% of ELBW infants born outside major hospitals with intensive care nurseries, and more tiny babies offered intensive care. We now need to know if these benefits have been maintained for tiny babies born in the 2000s. Hence we need to assess the long-term health of tiny babies born in Victoria in 2005.Read moreRead less
A Centre Of Research Excellence In Adolescent Health: Making Health Services Work For Adolescents In A Digital Age
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,496,295.00
Summary
Developmentally appropriate adolescent healthcare must be inter-disciplinary, with sound communication and acknowledging increasing autonomy; not easily accommodated within traditional paediatric and adult models of care. Our diverse team of experts will work with young people, parents, policy makers and service providers to create principles of cost-effective, equitable and accessible healthcare for adolescents, making best use of present-day health services and modern digital technologies.
Improving Community Approaches For Common Childhood Conditions.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$478,602.00
Summary
Melissa’s end goal is community-based strategies that effectively prevent or manage common childhood conditions, which she addresses via four distinct yet unified programs of research (language-literacy, hearing loss, obesity, and early mental health-behaviour). All four programs are guided by long-term strategic plans that include advocacy and translation as central tenets. A further focus is research capacity-building in these areas via her substantial doctoral-postdoctoral programs.
Evaluation Of The Incorporation Of WHO Guidelines Into Post-graduate Medical Curriculum; The Impact On Quality Of Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$130,704.00
Summary
There is abundant evidence that many patients do not receive medical treatments of proven effectiveness. This is even more apparent in developing countries. Strategies to improve use of proven treatments is needed. Our research aims to evaluate an educational program for doctors in Lao PDR, based on World Health Organisation guidelines for the care of sick children in hospitals, including the impact on the knowledge of doctors and on the quality of care in the hospitals in which they work.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Community-based Weight Management Intervention In Obese Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$79,534.00
Summary
This research will explore various aspects of managing overweight and obesity in adolescence, including a review of previous studies. The central focus will be participants' weight, health and behavioral outcomes in a randomised controlled trial of a community-based weight management program for 13-16 year olds. A focus group study will be conducted to increase understanding of parent-adolescent communication regarding overweight and the decision to seek treatment.
Domestic air quality: towards the setting of guidelines. Air quality standards have been developed to protect human health. Although people spend most of their time indoors there are no standards and only a few guidelines for indoor air pollution (IAP). The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of IAP that may worsen asthma in children. Childhood asthma will be used as a health indicator due to its high prevalence, cost to the healthcare system and implications for respiratory morbidity ....Domestic air quality: towards the setting of guidelines. Air quality standards have been developed to protect human health. Although people spend most of their time indoors there are no standards and only a few guidelines for indoor air pollution (IAP). The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of IAP that may worsen asthma in children. Childhood asthma will be used as a health indicator due to its high prevalence, cost to the healthcare system and implications for respiratory morbidity in adult life. We expect to identify levels of IAP that will represent a health risk as well as the factors that may contribute to increased IAP in homes.Read moreRead less
Does Gastrostomy Improve The Lives Of Children With Severe Disability And Their Families?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,101.00
Summary
Around 750 Australian children are born each year with severe intellectual disability. Problems may include feeding difficulties and frequent hospitalisations. Feeding via a gastrostomy tube into the stomach can be used. We will conduct a data linkage study in NSW and WA, and collect additional data in WA to investigate patterns of gastrostomy use and its safety, effectiveness and costs. Our findings will help the management of poor feeding in intellectual disability.
Health-Related Quality Of Life In Intractable Paediatric Epilepsy: Using A New Measure To Improve Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$252,940.00
Summary
Until recently there was no adequate measure to assess the quality of life of children with epilepsy. Our Australian centre was the first to develop, validate and publish such an instrument; the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE). We now aim to collect more data using the QOLCE to gain further understanding of the effects of epilepsy and its treatment on the quality of life of children. We will determine if surgery in children stops seizures and improves quality of life. ....Until recently there was no adequate measure to assess the quality of life of children with epilepsy. Our Australian centre was the first to develop, validate and publish such an instrument; the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE). We now aim to collect more data using the QOLCE to gain further understanding of the effects of epilepsy and its treatment on the quality of life of children. We will determine if surgery in children stops seizures and improves quality of life. We also aim to find out if children with different types of epilepsies have unique quality of life issues. Finally, we aim to determine if the quality of a child's life depends on how well they are thinking and learning or how often they are having seizures. We will conduct this study in children with difficult epilepsy recruited from three major children's hospitals (Sydney Children's Hospital, the Children's Hospital, Westmead, Miami Children's Hospital, Florida USA) using a well designed methodology. Each child will have their particular type of epilepsy characterised using video and brain wave analysis. Each parent and older child will receive a quality of life package including the QOLCE to assess life function. In addition, all children will have an assessment of their thinking and learning by a child psychologist. At the completion of this project we will have established whether surgical treatment in children with epilepsy stops seizures and improves quality of life. This will allow clinicians and parents to better understand the effects of surgical treatment in this population. In addition, we will determine if problems in quality of life are associated with specific types of epilepsy. This information can be used to counsel families and tailor interventions and treatments. Finally, we will know whether a child's quality of life is determined by problems with thinking and learning and-or seizures.Read moreRead less
A Centre For Research Excellence In Cerebral Palsy (CRE-CP)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,622,042.00
Summary
Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood. Our objective is to bring about a radical improvement in the treatment of individuals with cerebral palsy, both children and adults, and to determine better ways to assist their families. Emphasis will be placed on early detection of health issues and rigorous evaluation of management options. We will train more researchers and ensure that all the knowledge generated is made available to families and health care professionals.