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
Using molecular tools to understand and control the transmission of Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is the major public health concern of water utilities as the parasite has a global impact on the health and survival of millions of people and animals worldwide. It is resistant to chlorine and there are no effective drugs against it. Control strategies therefore rely on understanding how it is transmitted. This project will conduct a comprehensive study utilising molecular tools to determine if ....Using molecular tools to understand and control the transmission of Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is the major public health concern of water utilities as the parasite has a global impact on the health and survival of millions of people and animals worldwide. It is resistant to chlorine and there are no effective drugs against it. Control strategies therefore rely on understanding how it is transmitted. This project will conduct a comprehensive study utilising molecular tools to determine if the Cryptosporidium in humans is the same as that derived from water contamination sources (animals, sewage etc). The outcomes of this project will result in the development of more targeted, cost-effective preventive measures to minimize exposures to infections, accurate risk assessment, and scientific management of the watershed.Read moreRead less
Vaccination Timeliness In Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Infants: Risk Factors For Delayed Vaccination And Impact On Disease Burden—a Record Linkage Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$538,183.00
Summary
Vaccination has had a significant impact, but preventable infections continue to occur, perhaps due to delayed uptake of scheduled doses. For the first time, we will link vaccination and other health records to: provide accurate estimates of the impact of vaccination; identify reasons for delayed vaccination; and quantify the expected reduction in disease burden if vaccination timeliness was improved. The study will help determine who would benefit most from efforts to improve timeliness.
Developing a disability policy model to target the prevention or reduction of limitations on functioning and wellbeing. With the ageing of Australian society the challenge for public health is shifting from preventing death and disease onset to supporting healthy and productive ageing. The disability policy model will allow cost-effective targeting of interventions to reduce or prevent onset of disability or reduce its severity particularly among older Australians.
Combining Health, Laboratory And Immunisation Data Sources To Identify Opportunities For The Prevention Of Chest Infections In Young Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,469.00
Summary
Chest infections are one of the major reasons children are admitted to hospital, particularly in Aboriginal children. This project will determine whether current vaccines have reduced hospital visits and how many children are affected by multiple infections. It will also identify where better vaccination programs are needed. This will be done by bringing together and analysing a range of infection and hospital records to paint a true picture of the impact of chest infections in children.
Visual field impairment and injury: A population-based study. This project aims to link a large-scale ophthalmic database of visual field tests to population-based injury data which includes police-reported crash data, hospitalisation, death and trauma data in people aged over 60 years. The identification of individuals with high risk visual fields will enable the development of targeted interventions at the local, national and international level to prevent injuries due to visual field loss. Si ....Visual field impairment and injury: A population-based study. This project aims to link a large-scale ophthalmic database of visual field tests to population-based injury data which includes police-reported crash data, hospitalisation, death and trauma data in people aged over 60 years. The identification of individuals with high risk visual fields will enable the development of targeted interventions at the local, national and international level to prevent injuries due to visual field loss. Significant benefits include a reduction in the number of injuries and consequent reductions in personal harm and health care demands.Read moreRead less
Risks to human health and the ecosystem from feral pigs in Perth metropolitan water catchments. This project aims to investigate the potential risk feral pigs pose to public health through the dissemination of water borne pathogens within water catchment areas, and to investigate their role in the maintenance and spread of diseases of public and animal health concern in the south west of Western Australia. As well as providing a frontline approach to protecting our water supplies, this project ....Risks to human health and the ecosystem from feral pigs in Perth metropolitan water catchments. This project aims to investigate the potential risk feral pigs pose to public health through the dissemination of water borne pathogens within water catchment areas, and to investigate their role in the maintenance and spread of diseases of public and animal health concern in the south west of Western Australia. As well as providing a frontline approach to protecting our water supplies, this project will also provide valuable data on the nature and extent of the risk feral pigs pose to biodiversity conservation and the environment generally. The outcomes of this research will provide a scientific basis for the development of prioritised strategies for the control of feral pigs in Western Australia.Read moreRead less
Excessive sitting and population health: strengthening the science and the relevance to policy and practice. The majority of Australian adults spend most of their waking hours sitting; this increases the likelihood of developing diseases of inactivity, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. New research will investigate what factors encourage excessive sitting and what the health benefits are for people who deliberately do less sitting.
Survival mixture modelling with random effects in public health. This interdisciplinary research aims to develop innovative methods and deliver effective tools for analysing non-standard survival data. Significance of the work lies in its novelty and the breadth of its practical applications. Evaluation of health outcomes has important implications in cancer prevention and control, hospital strategic planning, and post-stroke care management. The unique opportunity to examine long-term predictor ....Survival mixture modelling with random effects in public health. This interdisciplinary research aims to develop innovative methods and deliver effective tools for analysing non-standard survival data. Significance of the work lies in its novelty and the breadth of its practical applications. Evaluation of health outcomes has important implications in cancer prevention and control, hospital strategic planning, and post-stroke care management. The unique opportunity to examine long-term predictors of morbidity and mortality in a well-documented Aboriginal population will enhance the understanding of existing inequities in Aboriginal health. Demographic and lifestyle information related to the outcomes is pertinent to the development of policy and health promotion appropriate to Aboriginal communities.Read moreRead less
Modelling and Simulation of Disease Spread Dynamics Using Interacting Automata. Modelling and simulation techniques will be developed to strengthen our understanding of disease spread over the landscape, so allowing timely control strategies to be developed. The economic cost to Australia of introduced pests, animal and plant diseases is considerable. We utilise an interacting automata formalism to capture landscape, population and contagion information as it affects disease spread to provide ....Modelling and Simulation of Disease Spread Dynamics Using Interacting Automata. Modelling and simulation techniques will be developed to strengthen our understanding of disease spread over the landscape, so allowing timely control strategies to be developed. The economic cost to Australia of introduced pests, animal and plant diseases is considerable. We utilise an interacting automata formalism to capture landscape, population and contagion information as it affects disease spread to provide more accurate simulation than is done at present. Generic simulation tools will be constructed, capable of being rapidly personalised by epidemiologists for specific diseases.Read moreRead less