A community-based approach to the problem of underage drinking. This project will aim to reduce the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related harms, among young people aged 12-17 years by addressing social norms regarding underage alcohol consumption. Using a multi-component intervention it will engage the Illawarra community in strategies to encourage and empower young people not to drink.
Generating evidence for nature-based strategies to reduce loneliness. While loneliness and despair are reportedly increasing due to social and economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, governments are investing in urban greening. This project aims to help steer greening strategies to reduce loneliness and despair, to enable recoveries from COVID-19 that are more sustainable, equitable and nourishing. This project will: (1) engage with leading scientists within and outside Australia to f ....Generating evidence for nature-based strategies to reduce loneliness. While loneliness and despair are reportedly increasing due to social and economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, governments are investing in urban greening. This project aims to help steer greening strategies to reduce loneliness and despair, to enable recoveries from COVID-19 that are more sustainable, equitable and nourishing. This project will: (1) engage with leading scientists within and outside Australia to formalise my draft conceptual model of pathways linking urban greening with loneliness and despair; (2) test associations and pathways with multiple sources of nationally representative data; (3) supervise a mixed-methods PhD project; and (4) share findings for building up knowledge capacities and guideline development.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.
The life-course implications of declining adolescent drinking. The project aims to identify ways to ensure that recent declines in adolescent drinking are maintained and reinforced as these cohorts age into young adulthood. It expects to generate new knowledge on the trajectories of youth drinking into young adulthood. Expected outcomes include new cross-national understandings of the predictors of heavy drinking in adulthood and an updated evidence base for the development of harm prevention po ....The life-course implications of declining adolescent drinking. The project aims to identify ways to ensure that recent declines in adolescent drinking are maintained and reinforced as these cohorts age into young adulthood. It expects to generate new knowledge on the trajectories of youth drinking into young adulthood. Expected outcomes include new cross-national understandings of the predictors of heavy drinking in adulthood and an updated evidence base for the development of harm prevention policies and interventions by governments and NGOs. This should provide significant benefits to Australia via reductions in the negative health and social impacts of heavy drinking for these cohorts across their lives. Read moreRead less
Urban spaces and active ageing: understanding person-environment interactions to inform activity-friendly community design. The proportion of older adults in urban areas is rapidly growing, leading to increases in health-care costs that are associated with chronic diseases. This can be offset by creating urban environments that support an active lifestyle across mid-to-late adulthood. How urban community designs shape the physical activity of this understudied age group is unclear. Using a suite ....Urban spaces and active ageing: understanding person-environment interactions to inform activity-friendly community design. The proportion of older adults in urban areas is rapidly growing, leading to increases in health-care costs that are associated with chronic diseases. This can be offset by creating urban environments that support an active lifestyle across mid-to-late adulthood. How urban community designs shape the physical activity of this understudied age group is unclear. Using a suite of national and international epidemiological studies, This project aims to identify the optimal mix and spatial distribution of destinations (facilities and places to visit) for active ageing, while taking into account factors that define one’s ability and willingness to visit these destinations. This will inform public policy and activity-friendly community design.Read moreRead less
How to make other people happy. The contribution individuals can make to the happiness of others. The field of wellbeing has burgeoned in the last two decades. Economists have joined psychologists, health professionals and other social scientists to address the question of how society can be made happier. The literature to date has largely focused on how individuals can attain happiness by addressing personal psychological and health issues. This project offers a different perspective by asking ....How to make other people happy. The contribution individuals can make to the happiness of others. The field of wellbeing has burgeoned in the last two decades. Economists have joined psychologists, health professionals and other social scientists to address the question of how society can be made happier. The literature to date has largely focused on how individuals can attain happiness by addressing personal psychological and health issues. This project offers a different perspective by asking the question: What can be done to make others happy? In particular, this project focuses on: the effect we have on the happiness of our partners and children; how we optimally handle information as individuals and as a society, to make other people happy; how we can make our neighbourhoods happy; and how we can make other countries happy.Read moreRead less
Improving health and criminal justice outcomes among Australia's offender population using a multi-disciplinary, all of government approach. Offender populations comprise some of the most marginalised and socially excluded individuals in society. With this comes poor health, engagement in risk behaviours and reduced social outcomes. Violence, mental health, infectious diseases, and substance misuse are all characteristics of offender populations and have a huge impact on the wider community. The ....Improving health and criminal justice outcomes among Australia's offender population using a multi-disciplinary, all of government approach. Offender populations comprise some of the most marginalised and socially excluded individuals in society. With this comes poor health, engagement in risk behaviours and reduced social outcomes. Violence, mental health, infectious diseases, and substance misuse are all characteristics of offender populations and have a huge impact on the wider community. The research programme linked to this application will collect new information aimed at reducing this impact and also develop a much needed intervention to reduce violent reoffending. Indigenous people are over-represented in the Australian prison system and will benefit from the work programme associated with this application.Read moreRead less
Improving the quality of life of children born very premature. This research program is in line with the national research priority to promote good health and well being, and more specifically to provide a healthy start to life for high-risk infants. This research program is attempting to improve the quality of life of infants born very preterm by improving our understanding of the nature of the problems faced by these high-risk children. This knowledge will inform future preventative care and ....Improving the quality of life of children born very premature. This research program is in line with the national research priority to promote good health and well being, and more specifically to provide a healthy start to life for high-risk infants. This research program is attempting to improve the quality of life of infants born very preterm by improving our understanding of the nature of the problems faced by these high-risk children. This knowledge will inform future preventative care and early intervention strategies. More directly, this research program incorporates a series of randomised controlled trials which are all attempting to improve the health and well being of these vulnerable infants.Read moreRead less
Addressing time scarcity: feasible strategies for a healthy future. Lack of time is the main reason people say they don't exercise, take public transport or eat healthy food, and for many Australians (especially parents who combine working with raising children) time pressure is acute. This program of research will provide ways to reduce time barriers, to make healthy and sustainable living more feasible.
Engaging the forgotten public health workforce. This Fellowship project aims to provide the first in-depth, coordinated, critical public health examination and application of consumer behaviour-informed methodology to examine health promotion and complementary medicine. The project aims to build on novel analyses and critical engagement with community members, health professionals and policymakers to advance public health scholarship of health information-seeking and chronic illness prevention. ....Engaging the forgotten public health workforce. This Fellowship project aims to provide the first in-depth, coordinated, critical public health examination and application of consumer behaviour-informed methodology to examine health promotion and complementary medicine. The project aims to build on novel analyses and critical engagement with community members, health professionals and policymakers to advance public health scholarship of health information-seeking and chronic illness prevention. It seeks to identify challenges and opportunities to improve Australian health promotion initiatives; provide an evidence-base to inform coordinated implementation of the National Preventive Health Strategy; and optimise the primary care workforce to benefit health promotion for Australians.Read moreRead less