Cluster randomised control trial of an early childhood literacy intervention to improve literacy and language outcomes in preschool aged children. Reading failure disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities in Australia, with nearly 40% of poor children failing to read at the minimum reading benchmark in Grade three. Of more concern is the disturbing trend indicating that prior to first grade, socioeconomic status (SES) differences also exist in important antecedents of reading such as ....Cluster randomised control trial of an early childhood literacy intervention to improve literacy and language outcomes in preschool aged children. Reading failure disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities in Australia, with nearly 40% of poor children failing to read at the minimum reading benchmark in Grade three. Of more concern is the disturbing trend indicating that prior to first grade, socioeconomic status (SES) differences also exist in important antecedents of reading such as letter knowledge and phonological processing skills, yet there remains no universal program to promote early language and literacy practices in the primary care setting. We propose a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a multi injection intervention to improve literacy outcomes of children in disadvantaged communities.Read moreRead less
Both Smart and Healthy: Learning Communities as a Settings-based Approaches to Health Promotion. This project will use a collaborative learning model to build health promotion capacity. The project brings together two innovative approaches to develop new knowledge about how setting-based approaches to health can be implemented in future. This approach could potentially address chronic disease at a national and international level by promoting healthy communities that can effectively manage chr ....Both Smart and Healthy: Learning Communities as a Settings-based Approaches to Health Promotion. This project will use a collaborative learning model to build health promotion capacity. The project brings together two innovative approaches to develop new knowledge about how setting-based approaches to health can be implemented in future. This approach could potentially address chronic disease at a national and international level by promoting healthy communities that can effectively manage chronic disease through collaborative learning and knowledge-building. The project represents an important collaboration between a university and its community with a view to improving health capacity.Read moreRead less
Psychosocial and economic impacts of rare diseases on Australian children, families and health professionals. Rare childhood diseases have enormous impacts on children and families; health services, and health professionals. This project will enable Australia to lead the international research effort by using a coordinated approach to study the impacts of rare diseases in order to improve psychosocial, health and economic outcomes for children and families.
Increasing and Sustaining Physical Activity Levels of Sedentary Older Adults by Improving Social Support and Links with Local Community Resources. This project will promote the health of older people by linking them with local physical activity resources and social support to encourage them to increase and sustain their levels of physical activity. This project uses an innovative approach to tackle one of the key behavioural risk factors for older people, namely physical inactivity, identified b ....Increasing and Sustaining Physical Activity Levels of Sedentary Older Adults by Improving Social Support and Links with Local Community Resources. This project will promote the health of older people by linking them with local physical activity resources and social support to encourage them to increase and sustain their levels of physical activity. This project uses an innovative approach to tackle one of the key behavioural risk factors for older people, namely physical inactivity, identified by the national ageing strategy. The intervention model will provide, for the first time, a sustainable local community vehicle for engaging and sustaining sedentary older people in physical activity. It is anticipated that the community will adopt the model once its efficacy is demonstrated.Read moreRead less
Practical methods to evaluate school breakfast programs. This innovative project will provide a doctoral student with the opportunity to develop in-depth academic research within the practical constraints of field-based program evaluation. The candidate will develop a practical methodology to evaluate community-based programs, specifically school breakfast programs in New South Wales. The outcome of the project will be an evaluation protocol, set of tools and reporting proforma that can be appli ....Practical methods to evaluate school breakfast programs. This innovative project will provide a doctoral student with the opportunity to develop in-depth academic research within the practical constraints of field-based program evaluation. The candidate will develop a practical methodology to evaluate community-based programs, specifically school breakfast programs in New South Wales. The outcome of the project will be an evaluation protocol, set of tools and reporting proforma that can be applied by volunteers and teachers to evaluate school breakfast programs. The research process undertaken by the candidate also will be applicable to the development of evaluation methodologies of a range of community-based programs.Read moreRead less
New directions in health inequalities research: understanding the intersection between housing, employment and health in Australia. People employed on a casual basis in Australia are nearly three times more likely to live in a household that is in housing affordability stress than their permanently employed counterparts. Employment and housing are both determinants of health. While social inclusion, employment and housing affordability are critical components of the government's current social p ....New directions in health inequalities research: understanding the intersection between housing, employment and health in Australia. People employed on a casual basis in Australia are nearly three times more likely to live in a household that is in housing affordability stress than their permanently employed counterparts. Employment and housing are both determinants of health. While social inclusion, employment and housing affordability are critical components of the government's current social policy agenda, articulation between these policy domains is limited and little researched. This important study will provide robust evidence on the ways that housing and employment interact to both cause and prevent health inequities. This will directly benefit agencies delivering services to vulnerable people and contribute to an evidence base of benefit to policy makers.Read moreRead less
The big gamble: an interdisciplinary study of the normalisation of gambling. This project aims to explore industry and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the normalisation of gambling. Gambling is recognised as an urgent public health issue in Australia, posing a health threat to individuals and communities. However, there is limited empirical evidence about the processes that may contribute to the normalisation of different forms of gambling. This project aims to explore the interplay be ....The big gamble: an interdisciplinary study of the normalisation of gambling. This project aims to explore industry and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the normalisation of gambling. Gambling is recognised as an urgent public health issue in Australia, posing a health threat to individuals and communities. However, there is limited empirical evidence about the processes that may contribute to the normalisation of different forms of gambling. This project aims to explore the interplay between the sophisticated promotional tactics used by the gambling industry, and the socio-cultural mechanisms which may interact with these promotional tactics to normalise gambling beliefs in youth, women, and older adults. This project expects to help local governments and related stakeholders develop a comprehensive range of public health strategies aimed at preventing the risks and harms posed by the normalisation of gambling.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101921
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,000.00
Summary
Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to ....Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to develop and implement evidence-based strategies and policies designed to optimise developmental and health outcomes in young children, specifically in those from a low socio-economic status, thus giving young children the best start in life.Read moreRead less
Alcohol use and harm minimisation among Australian university students. Alcohol-related harms cost Australians over $15.3 billion per year, and in 2008 were described by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as having reached 'epidemic proportions'. Young people are at greatest risk of alcohol-related damage and university students are among the heaviest drinkers, with up to 70% engaging in binge drinking. By examining the social dynamics of university students' drinking practices and their understanding of ....Alcohol use and harm minimisation among Australian university students. Alcohol-related harms cost Australians over $15.3 billion per year, and in 2008 were described by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as having reached 'epidemic proportions'. Young people are at greatest risk of alcohol-related damage and university students are among the heaviest drinkers, with up to 70% engaging in binge drinking. By examining the social dynamics of university students' drinking practices and their understanding of harm minimisation, together with the policies and measures offered by colleges and State health authorities, the proposed project will yield a new evidence base and innovative theoretical approach for developing fresh strategic harm minimisation interventions.Read moreRead less