Primary Prevention Of Infant Food Allergy: A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Postnatal Vitamin D Supplementation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,723,793.00
Summary
Low vitamin D has been linked to a range of health conditions but, unlike many countries, Australia does not recommend supplementing infants with vitamin D. Good quality research on the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation to prevent disease is lacking. Our trial of 2330 infants examines whether a daily dose of vitamin D prevents the development of food allergy. Vitamin D is safe and low cost. Infant supplementation may be the first simple strategy to reduce this common childhood condition
Links2HealthierBubs: Influenza And Pertussis Vaccine Effectiveness And Safety In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$676,333.00
Summary
Vaccination during pregnancy can offer protection against severe respiratory disease for infants in the first six months of life. For this reason, influenza and pertussis vaccines are routinely recommended during each pregnancy. Unfortunately, little is known about the ‘real world’ effect of both vaccines. We plan to conduct the largest and most comprehensive study to date to evaluate all vaccines routinely recommended in pregnancy in Australia.
FluMum: A Prospective Cohort Study Of Mother-infant Pairs Assessing The Effectiveness Of Maternal Influenza Vaccination In Prevention Of Influenza In Early Infancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,598,377.00
Summary
Influenza is a serious illness for young babies. Currently there are no vaccines that can be given to babies under 6 months of age to protect them from infection. This study aims to determine whether influenza vaccine given in pregnancy can prevent infection in babies up to 6 months of age.
BCG Immunisation To Prevent Allergy In Children: An Intervention Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,187,260.00
Summary
There has been a dramatic rise in allergic diseases (asthma, eczema, food allergy) worldwide and particularly in Australia, with up to 30% of children affected. There is evidence from small studies that BCG immunisation has beneficial effects that prevent an allergic type immune response later in life. In a large randomised trial we will determine whether BCG at birth prevents allergic disease by monitoring eczema and food sensitivity in infancy, both of which predict an allergic predisposition.
Investigating older Australians' beliefs about and understanding of mental health and their practice of relevant protective behaviours. Healthy ageing and mental health are acknowledged national priorities. This project will generate new knowledge relating to older Australians' mental health literacy and the motivators and barriers influencing their engagement in protective behaviours. The resulting communications strategy will provide tangible outcomes for the industry partners to utilise. The ....Investigating older Australians' beliefs about and understanding of mental health and their practice of relevant protective behaviours. Healthy ageing and mental health are acknowledged national priorities. This project will generate new knowledge relating to older Australians' mental health literacy and the motivators and barriers influencing their engagement in protective behaviours. The resulting communications strategy will provide tangible outcomes for the industry partners to utilise. The project will thus produce knowledge advancement and tools for practitioners, both of which will enhance public welfare and reduce long-term healthcare costs. While this project focuses on older Australians, those of all ages will benefit from a communications campaign that provides individuals with knowledge to protect and strengthen their mental health.Read moreRead less
Geelong Healthy Eating and Active Play for Under Fives. Helping children achieve a healthier weight is a major national health priority. About 30% of 4 and 5 year old children are already overweight or obese. Action is urgently needed to prevent further increases yet there have been very few studies in the area. The Geelong Under-5s project in will measure the impact of a comprehensive intervention designed to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity by modifying day care and kindergarte ....Geelong Healthy Eating and Active Play for Under Fives. Helping children achieve a healthier weight is a major national health priority. About 30% of 4 and 5 year old children are already overweight or obese. Action is urgently needed to prevent further increases yet there have been very few studies in the area. The Geelong Under-5s project in will measure the impact of a comprehensive intervention designed to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity by modifying day care and kindergarten settings, by increasing the capacity of staff to teach and model healthy eating and physical activity patterns, and by educating parents at receptive moments in their child's life.Read moreRead less
Understanding fertility management in contemporary Australia. Fertility management, including unintended pregnancy and infertility carry substantial public costs including increased health service use and reduced economic participation. Both are experienced in individual lives, contributing to disappointed life goals, altered social and family relationships, the burden of stigma, and compromised physical and mental health. The goal of this research is to reduce the public and personal costs of s ....Understanding fertility management in contemporary Australia. Fertility management, including unintended pregnancy and infertility carry substantial public costs including increased health service use and reduced economic participation. Both are experienced in individual lives, contributing to disappointed life goals, altered social and family relationships, the burden of stigma, and compromised physical and mental health. The goal of this research is to reduce the public and personal costs of sub-optimal fertility management by providing the knowledge for improving national reproductive and sexual health promotion strategies. The consequence will be increased likelihood that pregnancies are intended and reproductive hopes realised. Data will contribute to National Research Priorities of promoting health and strengthening families.Read moreRead less
The impact of park renewal on park usage and park-based physical activity. The study will examine whether the refurbishment of a park located in a low socio-economic area of Melbourne has an impact on park usage and park-based physical activity. The findings will help inform the design of future parks to optimise park usage and physical activity performed within the park.
The weighty issue of childhood obesity: an investigation of the role of junk food advertising. Australian children have been getting continuously fatter since the 1970s. The direct health cost implications amount to $830 million annually. Most fat kids also become fat adults, suggesting a future health crisis in Australia. Junk food advertising is extremely heavy during children's television and is thought to contribute greatly to childhood obesity because children are highly susceptible to t ....The weighty issue of childhood obesity: an investigation of the role of junk food advertising. Australian children have been getting continuously fatter since the 1970s. The direct health cost implications amount to $830 million annually. Most fat kids also become fat adults, suggesting a future health crisis in Australia. Junk food advertising is extremely heavy during children's television and is thought to contribute greatly to childhood obesity because children are highly susceptible to the suggestions of ads. The present research will help policy makers decide the most appropriate regulation of food advertising to children, and has the potential to reduce the proportion of Australian kids who are fat, thereby saving billions of dollars in health costs.Read moreRead less
African youth and obesity: The role of the intergenerational acculturation gap. The financial cost of obesity to the Australian community is estimated to be $21.9 billion when the costs borne by individuals are taken into account. Understanding and addressing factors that extenuate health inequalities and reduce obesity will lead to a reduction in the burden of diseases and healthier ageing population. Our study will be the first to apply acculturation theories to examine the family environment ....African youth and obesity: The role of the intergenerational acculturation gap. The financial cost of obesity to the Australian community is estimated to be $21.9 billion when the costs borne by individuals are taken into account. Understanding and addressing factors that extenuate health inequalities and reduce obesity will lead to a reduction in the burden of diseases and healthier ageing population. Our study will be the first to apply acculturation theories to examine the family environment and family dynamics that predispose adolescents from one of the fastest growing immigrant populations, Africans, to obesity, and to produce culturally competent and tested models to inform large scale, population-level obesity prevention programs and policies.Read moreRead less