Reducing the social, economic and health burden associated with obesity-related chronic diseases among socio-economically disadvantaged populations. This project will develop new methods and approaches for reducing obesity-related chronic diseases (OCDs) among socially disadvantaged populations in Australia, using prevention models. These prevention models will improve the evidence base in this field as well as inform public health policy and practice in Australia (and other industrialised count ....Reducing the social, economic and health burden associated with obesity-related chronic diseases among socio-economically disadvantaged populations. This project will develop new methods and approaches for reducing obesity-related chronic diseases (OCDs) among socially disadvantaged populations in Australia, using prevention models. These prevention models will improve the evidence base in this field as well as inform public health policy and practice in Australia (and other industrialised countries).Read moreRead less
Dietary patterns across the life-course: implications for the prevention of obesity, cardiometabolic disease and public health. This research will focus on dietary patterns in population health across the life-course. We know little about how dietary patterns and their determinants vary across life and the impact of life-stage transitions on diet and health. This research will provide insights into dietary patterns of infants, children, young adults and older adults.
Understanding children's risk of obesity: contextual influences on changes in eating, physical activity and weight status. Overweight and obesity are significant public health issues in Australia. After tobacco, physical inactivity and obesity are leading modifiable contributors to the burden of disease. The economic cost of obesity was recently estimated at $1.3 billion/year. Preventing further increases in childhood obesity is an urgent national priority, however there currently exists insuffi ....Understanding children's risk of obesity: contextual influences on changes in eating, physical activity and weight status. Overweight and obesity are significant public health issues in Australia. After tobacco, physical inactivity and obesity are leading modifiable contributors to the burden of disease. The economic cost of obesity was recently estimated at $1.3 billion/year. Preventing further increases in childhood obesity is an urgent national priority, however there currently exists insufficient information to guide effective obesity prevention strategies. The findings of this study will inform efforts to prevent obesity at the population level by enhancing knowledge of contextual influences on obesity-risk behaviours and the selection of specific targets for intervention. As such, this study will help create a healthier generation of children.Read moreRead less
Personal and environmental influences on changes in adolescents' food consumption behaviours. This project will track the eating behaviours of two groups of randomly selected adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 years, for three years. The aims are to assess the changes that occur in their eating behaviour and to examine the influence of family, school, mass media and intrapersonal variables during this period so that predictive models can be built. This will facilitate the implementation o ....Personal and environmental influences on changes in adolescents' food consumption behaviours. This project will track the eating behaviours of two groups of randomly selected adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 years, for three years. The aims are to assess the changes that occur in their eating behaviour and to examine the influence of family, school, mass media and intrapersonal variables during this period so that predictive models can be built. This will facilitate the implementation of life skills education and the prevention of obesity, non-communicable diseases and nutrient deficiencies.Read moreRead less
Improving eating behaviours in low-income communities. The health, economic and social costs of poor nutrition are substantial. The national partnership, the Strategic Inter-governmental Nutrition Alliance, has proposed a strategy, Eat Well Australia, which aims to improve the well-being of Australians through better nutrition. Fruit and vegetable consumption is an important part of a healthy diet. Increasing Australians' fruit and vegetable consumption will substantially cut health care costs, ....Improving eating behaviours in low-income communities. The health, economic and social costs of poor nutrition are substantial. The national partnership, the Strategic Inter-governmental Nutrition Alliance, has proposed a strategy, Eat Well Australia, which aims to improve the well-being of Australians through better nutrition. Fruit and vegetable consumption is an important part of a healthy diet. Increasing Australians' fruit and vegetable consumption will substantially cut health care costs, improve quality of life, and boost Australia's fresh produce industry. Findings will directly inform an evidence base upon which to design appropriate policies and programs aimed at promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Read moreRead less
Understanding environmental drivers of socioeconomic inequalities in food consumption. The health, economic and social costs of poor nutrition are substantial. The national partnership, the Strategic Inter-governmental Nutrition Alliance, has proposed a strategy, Eat Well Australia, which aims to improve the well-being of Australians through better nutrition. Improving Australians' diet will cut health care costs, improve quality of life, and promote physical, mental and social functioning. In o ....Understanding environmental drivers of socioeconomic inequalities in food consumption. The health, economic and social costs of poor nutrition are substantial. The national partnership, the Strategic Inter-governmental Nutrition Alliance, has proposed a strategy, Eat Well Australia, which aims to improve the well-being of Australians through better nutrition. Improving Australians' diet will cut health care costs, improve quality of life, and promote physical, mental and social functioning. In order to improve diet, particularly among those who are disadvantaged, a better understanding of the environmental drivers of inequalities in food consumption is required. Findings will inform the development of policies to increase the availability and accessibility of foodstuffs to supply an adequate and affordable diet for all.Read moreRead less
Founders and survivors: Australian lifecourses in historical context. This project will create one of the world's outstanding longitudinal studies of human health and resilience. It will contribute to the historical understanding of European migration, settler colonialism, forced labour and human health under stress, long-run family formation and falling fertility, household economy, and the social determinants of health. It will contribute to debate both nationally and internationally on the lo ....Founders and survivors: Australian lifecourses in historical context. This project will create one of the world's outstanding longitudinal studies of human health and resilience. It will contribute to the historical understanding of European migration, settler colonialism, forced labour and human health under stress, long-run family formation and falling fertility, household economy, and the social determinants of health. It will contribute to debate both nationally and internationally on the long-run effects of social and biomedical interventions and of investment in human capital. It will tell the grassroots history of the Australian penal and colonial experiments and it will form a scholarly coalition with the great community of family historians. Read moreRead less
Work life after a diagnosis of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer: Major disruption or work as usual. Each year, over 40,000 working-age individuals (as well as their families and workplaces) are affected by a diagnosis of cancer. This novel and important study will, for the first time in Australia, identify the extent and effects of loss of skilled workers from the workforce because of a diagnosis of breast, prostate or colorectal cancer and will lead to the development of new interventions ....Work life after a diagnosis of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer: Major disruption or work as usual. Each year, over 40,000 working-age individuals (as well as their families and workplaces) are affected by a diagnosis of cancer. This novel and important study will, for the first time in Australia, identify the extent and effects of loss of skilled workers from the workforce because of a diagnosis of breast, prostate or colorectal cancer and will lead to the development of new interventions that help people to recover from cancer. This project is critical to help advance health and labour policies in Australia which currently faces an ageing population, global economic unrest and rising unemployment.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.