Being 'fat' in today's world: A socio-cultural investigation of overweight and obesity. What does it feel like to constantly struggle with your weight? Over 60% of Australians are overweight or obese, and many of these have battled with their weight for most of their adult lives. In an innovative approach to obesity, researchers at Monash University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Canberra and Deakin University are investigating the poignancy of experience of living with obesity ....Being 'fat' in today's world: A socio-cultural investigation of overweight and obesity. What does it feel like to constantly struggle with your weight? Over 60% of Australians are overweight or obese, and many of these have battled with their weight for most of their adult lives. In an innovative approach to obesity, researchers at Monash University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Canberra and Deakin University are investigating the poignancy of experience of living with obesity in Australia. The aim of the study, which also includes a review of how obesity is represented by Australian newspapers, will use narratives to provide public health, health promotion and media strategies which resonate with the lived reality of obese and overweight people.Read moreRead less
Preventing And Treating Significant Infections In The Community And In Hospitals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,990.00
Summary
Infections that require hospitalisation are common and a significant event for patients. This research will look at severe influenza and define how protective the influenza vaccination is against hospitalisation. It will also look at preventing healthcare associated infections and in particular those involving antibiotic resistant "superbugs".
Generating Credible Evidence For Health Care Decision Making: Advancing Methods For Evidence Synthesis And Meta-analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,476.00
Summary
Systematic reviews often underpin recommendations in guidelines and are therefore critical to the translation of research evidence into practice. However, weaknesses in the conduct of reviews can yield biased results, which may lead to patients receiving ineffective or harmful treatments. During my fellowship I will develop and evaluate novel methods to assess and adjust for bias in reviews, to improve the credibility of evidence needed to make well-informed choices about health care.
After the questions: outcomes of routine screening for domestic violence in NSW Health services. Recent research indicates that domestic violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness in women aged 15-44 in Australia and leads to health costs of $314 m annually (VicHealth 2004, Access Economics 2004). Routine screening is a low cost measure aimed at prevention and early intervention for domestic violence, which has been successfully introduced for women entering antenatal, ....After the questions: outcomes of routine screening for domestic violence in NSW Health services. Recent research indicates that domestic violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness in women aged 15-44 in Australia and leads to health costs of $314 m annually (VicHealth 2004, Access Economics 2004). Routine screening is a low cost measure aimed at prevention and early intervention for domestic violence, which has been successfully introduced for women entering antenatal, early childhood, mental health and drug and alcohol services operated by NSW Health. The research will be the first study of its size to consider the outcomes of routine screening for domestic violence in public health settings in the Australian context.Read moreRead less
Maternal Vaccination: Perceptions, Behaviours And A Communication Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$38,631.00
Summary
This study aims to understand the barriers that pregnant women and new mothers may have to receiving vaccines that can protect them and their children against whooping cough and influenza. Based on this research I will develop an educational intervention that can help mothers make informed decisions about receiving these vaccinations at the right time.
Optimising Men’s Uptake Of FIT Screening For Bowel Cancer: A Population Based Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,522.00
Summary
Men are more likely to die from bowel cancer but are not participating in the National Bowel Cancer Screening program to the same extent as women. The research group has devised simple messages that their previous research shows encourages men to use the screening kit. The team will compare the use of kits among men who get the Government’s usual invitations, with a group who receive invitations with the messages for men.
Should Australia Introduce A National Chlamydia Testing Program? Evaluation Of A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$518,510.00
Summary
Chlamydia is a very common sexually transmissible infection that can lead to infertility in women. About 4% of young adults have it, yet most are unaware they have it. Chlamydia is easy to diagnose and treat, but it is not known whether annual testing can reduce its spread. Over1 million tests are conducted each year in general practice, costing the government $30 million. This evaluation of a well-established trial of chlamydia testing in young adults will resolve the debate of whether annual t ....Chlamydia is a very common sexually transmissible infection that can lead to infertility in women. About 4% of young adults have it, yet most are unaware they have it. Chlamydia is easy to diagnose and treat, but it is not known whether annual testing can reduce its spread. Over1 million tests are conducted each year in general practice, costing the government $30 million. This evaluation of a well-established trial of chlamydia testing in young adults will resolve the debate of whether annual testing works and is a good use of money.Read moreRead less
Ageing Well And Productively: Pathways To Healthy Workforce Participation And Caregiving.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$143,660.00
Summary
Good health is vital to increase workforce participation,which enables us to pay for rising health care costs. This study will examine how socio-economic, behavioural, environmental and health-related factors impact on healthy workforce participation among older Australians. It will identify ways to prevent people having to retire early because of ill-health and will inform policy makers and health program developers about how best to maintain or increase a healthy workforce participation.
Evaluating A Weight Gain Prevention Study In Rural Australian Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$87,290.00
Summary
Overweight and obesity are crucial health issues worldwide with the prevalence estimated at 1.5 billion. In Australia 34% of women aged 26-31 years are overweight or obese and women living in rural communities are gaining weight faster than urban dwelling women. The work undertaken in this PhD will comprehensively evaluate and assist in the implementation of a large cluster randomized control trial testing the effectiveness of a low intensity, healthy lifestyle intervention to prevent weight gai ....Overweight and obesity are crucial health issues worldwide with the prevalence estimated at 1.5 billion. In Australia 34% of women aged 26-31 years are overweight or obese and women living in rural communities are gaining weight faster than urban dwelling women. The work undertaken in this PhD will comprehensively evaluate and assist in the implementation of a large cluster randomized control trial testing the effectiveness of a low intensity, healthy lifestyle intervention to prevent weight gain in women living in rural Australia.Read moreRead less
Reducing Falls By Improving Knowledge Translation: A Mixed-methods Study To Incorporate Falls Prevention Best-practice Evidence Into Osteoarthritis Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$88,502.00
Summary
Over 50% of people with osteoarthritis (OA) will fall. Resources exist to assist clinicians in the management of OA, but give little or no attention to falls.The association between OA and falls supports the need to incorporate falls prevention strategies into routine OA care. This project aims to reduce falls and fall-related harm in people with OA by creating a list of recommendations for preventing falls that can be incorporated into current OA resources and routine OA care.