The Comparative Health System Efficiency For Treating Chronic Physical And Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$58,500.00
Summary
Mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease in Australia, and are the largest cause of disability. Effective treatments are available for all mental disorders, however the majority of sufferers in Australia do not receive these treatments that work. Hence the burden of disease due to mental disorders in Australia persists. Why is this so? Is there something unique about mental disorders that means little can be done with direct treatment? The feasibility and affordability of mental ....Mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease in Australia, and are the largest cause of disability. Effective treatments are available for all mental disorders, however the majority of sufferers in Australia do not receive these treatments that work. Hence the burden of disease due to mental disorders in Australia persists. Why is this so? Is there something unique about mental disorders that means little can be done with direct treatment? The feasibility and affordability of mental health treatment can only be truly understood in comparison with other chronic disorders. Such comparisons are particularly significant as mental health remains a stigmatised area of the health sector. Without comparative data it would be easy for critics to argue for decreased funding for people with mental disorders. Project Outcomes: For three chronic physical disorders in Australia (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma) this project will define the cost-effectiveness of current care, the cost-effectiveness of optimal care (everyone getting treatments that work), and the amount of disease burden that can be averted with high-quality health care. These findings will be compared to similar calculations we have produced for mental disorders, to determine if it is mental disorders or chronic disorders per se that require much more effort by the health care system in Australia.Read moreRead less
Extending The Australian Arm Of The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$881,295.00
Summary
This project is to provide for the Australian arm of a large multi-national study to determine how tobacco control policies work. It is being conducted in the context of the implementation in 2005 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Australia is a party. We will provide new knowledge on the impacts of specific policies which are being implemented in Australia, as well as ones that occur in other countries that are part of the larger study. These i ....This project is to provide for the Australian arm of a large multi-national study to determine how tobacco control policies work. It is being conducted in the context of the implementation in 2005 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Australia is a party. We will provide new knowledge on the impacts of specific policies which are being implemented in Australia, as well as ones that occur in other countries that are part of the larger study. These include the adoption of graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, removal of misleading constituents levels information from packs, bans of misleading descriptors such as Light and Mild, and implementation of smoke-free bars. In addition it will advance our understanding of how policy effects persist over time, their equity, and the means by which they contribute to increased cessation and reduced relapse. We do this by following smokers every year in each of the countries and asking them about their thinking and actions with regard to smoking, as well as about their awareness of the policies. By comparing the responses of smokers exposed to policies with those from other countries that are not exposed, we can work out the contribution of the policies to changes in smoking. Understanding policy effects on smokers and smoking cessation will lead to improved policies in Australia and the likelihood of improved dissemination of policies that work here to other countries. Similarly policies found to work in other countries, can be best adapted to Australia if we understand how they work. Taken in total, it should advance our efforts to reduce the burden of smoking-related harm both in Australia and the rest of the world.Read moreRead less
Calling The Tune? Investigating Corporate Influences On Media Reporting Of Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$462,016.00
Summary
This project will examine and evaluate the relationships between Australian journalists and health-related industries (pharmaceutical, medical devices-diagnostics, complementary medicines, food and alcohol) in order to determine the extent to which, and ways in which, these relationships influence the health-related information received by health professionals and the Australian public. The project aims to inform strategies to improve industry and journalistic policy and practices.
Immunogenicity Of 23-valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccination Among Indigenous Australian Adolescents And Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$674,738.00
Summary
Multiple doses of pneumococcal vaccine are recommended for Indigenous Australians under a unique schedule aimed at reducing high rates of pneumococcal disease. However, disease rates have not reduced after several years of the program. This study examines a key, previously unstudied explanation for the lack of disease reduction in this population: that repeated vaccination could produce suboptimal protection against disease. It will provide evidence to underpin future vaccination policy.
A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Of Knowledge Translation Methods For Obesity Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$432,292.00
Summary
This study aims to increase the use of evidence in the development of programs for childhood obesity prevention by local government. There has been a lot of research to examine what works and what doesn't to increase healthy eating, physical activity and prevent childhood obesity, and programs conducted by local government have an important role to play. However, many who work in local government have not been trained in how to access research, nor do they have the time to search extensively for ....This study aims to increase the use of evidence in the development of programs for childhood obesity prevention by local government. There has been a lot of research to examine what works and what doesn't to increase healthy eating, physical activity and prevent childhood obesity, and programs conducted by local government have an important role to play. However, many who work in local government have not been trained in how to access research, nor do they have the time to search extensively for it, or interpret what the results from studies conducted elsewhere may mean for them in the local context. This study aims to examine what are the most effective and cost effective methods to increase access to evidence, and to increase the adoption of evidence by those working in local government (eg planners, maternal and child health nurses, family day care, environmental planners etc) to address environmental factors (playgrounds, walkability and active transport, policies for sporting events, community gardens, sporting events, street closures), health and social services (parent education, access to health promotion and prevention programs, education initiatives, environmental policies). Comparable research on what works for knowledge translation has only been conducted in the clinical context, for example, hospital clinics, and it is difficult to generalise these findings to the community based public health setting and relevant programs.Read moreRead less
Deconstructing DTCA: Towards A Differentiated Policy Response To Direct-to-Consumer Advertising In Australia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,760.00
Summary
Spending on prescription pharmaceuticals is the fastest growing part of the health budget. In recent years attention has shifted to the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on consumer demand and drug costs. Although DTCA is prohibited in Australia, it is clear that different types of DTCA are occurring. This study will examine the nature and range of DTCA, review the benefits and harms of DTCA, and identify the perspectives of major stakeholders regarding DTCA. The study will culmina ....Spending on prescription pharmaceuticals is the fastest growing part of the health budget. In recent years attention has shifted to the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on consumer demand and drug costs. Although DTCA is prohibited in Australia, it is clear that different types of DTCA are occurring. This study will examine the nature and range of DTCA, review the benefits and harms of DTCA, and identify the perspectives of major stakeholders regarding DTCA. The study will culminate in a national workshop which will develop a differentiated set of recommendations for responding to different types and modes of DTCA. This is likely to lead to better health policy and to resources that may assist consumers and health professionals deal with DTCA.Read moreRead less
Urban Locational Disadvantage And Health: Compositional And Contextual Determinants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$608,050.00
Summary
Research has shown that where you live can affect your health, with poorer areas tending to have lower levels of health. Relationships have also been found between an individual's income and their health. It is not clear, however, which has the greatest influence on health difference - characteristics of the areas themselves or the type of people living in the area. Recent research has suggested that the levels of social capital (that is, links between people, the amount of voluntary community a ....Research has shown that where you live can affect your health, with poorer areas tending to have lower levels of health. Relationships have also been found between an individual's income and their health. It is not clear, however, which has the greatest influence on health difference - characteristics of the areas themselves or the type of people living in the area. Recent research has suggested that the levels of social capital (that is, links between people, the amount of voluntary community activity, and the degree to which people trust others and civic institutions) has a significant impact on health. The nature of physical environments also has an impact on peoples' lives. The study will examine how the communities in which people live influence their health and will consider both aspects of the physical and social environments of areas, and their demographic composition. The research is in three stages. The first stage involves a telephone survey of residents of metropolitan Adelaide and includes questions about social capital, area of residence and health. Existing information about areas, such as crime rates, availability of services and air and water pollution, will be collected. The second stage involves detailed case studies of four suburbs in Adelaide, two of which are more affluent than average and two of which are poorer than average. These case studies will: catalogue the facilities available; survey a random sample of residents about their health, their participation in community activities and their perceptions of their area; talk about these issues in detail with residents in each area; and assess the quality of the physical environment. In the third stage, the findings of the research will be discussed with community members and key policy makers in state and local government to determine how communities can be best structured so that they support individuals' health status.Read moreRead less
Primary Health Care Errors Study: Qualification And Quantification Of Errors Occurring In General Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$191,000.00
Summary
The General Practice Errors Study (GPES) is a project that aims to examine errors that GPs notice in their daily practice, that affect patient well-being or care. Very little work has been done on this subject in General Practice in any other country, and Australia is the only country with previous research that has attempted to describe GP errors with the Quality in Australia Health Care Study (QAHCS). However, we have so far not had any research that has been done on a representative sample of ....The General Practice Errors Study (GPES) is a project that aims to examine errors that GPs notice in their daily practice, that affect patient well-being or care. Very little work has been done on this subject in General Practice in any other country, and Australia is the only country with previous research that has attempted to describe GP errors with the Quality in Australia Health Care Study (QAHCS). However, we have so far not had any research that has been done on a representative sample of GPs, or been able to quantify the frequency with which different types of errors occur. This study plans to ask a representative sample of GPs in both urban and rural areas to report their errors, so that we can try to quantify the incidence and prevalence of these different error types. No previous work has been done in Primary care which has attempted to determine the rate of recognized errors that occur in the community. In addition, since the last major work on this topic was done between 1993 and 1998, there have been many changes to General Practice, especially in the area of computerisation, and the types of problems that GPs face now may have changed significantly. Anonymous reporting is very important in order to encourage health professionals to admit to their mistakes, and in the past, projects have used paper based reporting forms, making it difficult to offer anonymity and requiring protection for participants under a Commonwealth Act of Parliament. However the GPES project will be the first major study of General Practice errors that uses an on-line anonymous reporting form, and high level encryption, located on a secure web-site, to encourage honest reporting. The reporting form was trialled in the 2001 pilot study. By analysing the types of errors occurring, and their contributing factors, we can target at-risk population groups and develop strategies to improve patient care and prevent future harm.Read moreRead less
Disorders of sexual development are among the most common form of birth defects in humans (1 in 4,000 births) because failure of the gonads to develop does not affect the viability of the individual. Such disorders can have profound psychological and medical consequences upon the individual, family, and society. Some intersexual conditions are the result of inappropriate exposure to hormones during fetal life, and others are due to spontaneous or inherited gene mutation. About 5-10% of ovarian c ....Disorders of sexual development are among the most common form of birth defects in humans (1 in 4,000 births) because failure of the gonads to develop does not affect the viability of the individual. Such disorders can have profound psychological and medical consequences upon the individual, family, and society. Some intersexual conditions are the result of inappropriate exposure to hormones during fetal life, and others are due to spontaneous or inherited gene mutation. About 5-10% of ovarian cancer cases, that affect 1 in 8000 Australian women, are due to the inheritance of a faulty gene. An understanding of the way gene expression and hence tissue differentiation is altered after sex reversal will inform us about the causes and consequences of normal and abnormal sexual development, gonadal malignancies and infertility. The gonad is unusual in that two completely different organs can arise from an essentially identical primordium, so that errors in development lead to intersexual phenotypes. We will use our new experimental animal model to clarify these processes.Read moreRead less
Dissecting The Role Of Hedgehog Signalling In Chondrogenesis And Skeletal Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,739.00
Summary
There are close to 400 inherited disorders that affect how the skeleton develops, as well as a range of injury and age-related skeletal defects. There is much interest in treating such abnormalities with artificial bone grown outside the body. In order to achieve this aim we must understand all of the processes involved in producing and maintaining bone within the body. We are using both mouse and cell culture models of skeletal development to increase our understanding of these processes.