Mis-reporting, adaptation and anchoring: the implications for self assessed health. In terms of targeting scarce public health resources, information concerning the true health status of different social groups is important. This project will provide more accurate information on the health of the Australian population using data already collected on a routine basis. Resources can then be targeted to reduce health inequalities.
Can Systematically Developed Alcohol Health Warnings Reduce Drinking Intentions And Behaviours?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$782,617.00
Summary
This research will develop differently worded and formatted warnings about a wide range of harms of alcohol and assess adult drinkers’ responses to them, compared to current messages on alcohol containers. The study will use population surveys, discussion groups, message ratings and an experimental study with follow-up to determine the content and format of warnings with the greatest potential to encourage drinkers to reduce their alcohol-related risk.
New Consumer Warnings To Counter Reassurance Based Tobacco Marketing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$974,713.00
Summary
This research will use consumer feedback to develop warnings about tobacco product attributes (e.g. cigarette filters, ‘smooth’ taste) that mislead smokers about the harms of smoking. We will assess smokers’ responses to these warnings, compared to current warnings on tobacco. The study will use a survey, group discussions, rating scales and an experiment with a follow-up to determine warnings with the greatest potential to correct persistent faulty beliefs about the harms of smoking.
The role of taxes and subsidies in promoting healthy lifestyles: an economic analysis. This project will look at two critically important policy relevant questions in public health terms - obesity prevention and changing consumption patterns with respect to drinks consumption, including alcohol.
Improving health equity of young people? The role of social enterprise. This project aims to explain the effects of social enterprise on the social determinants of health inequities among young people. During the transition to adulthood, health inequities may become entrenched, and young people in disadvantaged areas experience relatively poorer health than the wider population. Addressing health inequities upstream is critical to reducing them, with social enterprise gaining recent attention as ....Improving health equity of young people? The role of social enterprise. This project aims to explain the effects of social enterprise on the social determinants of health inequities among young people. During the transition to adulthood, health inequities may become entrenched, and young people in disadvantaged areas experience relatively poorer health than the wider population. Addressing health inequities upstream is critical to reducing them, with social enterprise gaining recent attention as one vehicle for doing this. The project will examine if, and how, social enterprises redress the root causes of health inequities. Intended outcomes include innovation in social policy, health promotion and social enterprise design to improve health equity for disadvantaged young people and their communities.Read moreRead less
Can Self-management Education Programs Improve Outcomes Of People With Osteoarthritis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,874.00
Summary
Arthritis is a very common disease associated with pain, disability and poor quality of life. An important way that people with arthritis can deal with the disease is through using a variety of self-management behaviours and coping strategies as well as becoming well informed about the best available treatments. A specific course was developed in he US to help people self-manage. It has been available in Australia for 20 years through Arthritis Foundations and has become their core business. Tre ....Arthritis is a very common disease associated with pain, disability and poor quality of life. An important way that people with arthritis can deal with the disease is through using a variety of self-management behaviours and coping strategies as well as becoming well informed about the best available treatments. A specific course was developed in he US to help people self-manage. It has been available in Australia for 20 years through Arthritis Foundations and has become their core business. Treatment guidelines used by doctors to treat people with arthritis regularly recommend that patients should be referred to such courses. Although the course is widely distributed, the evidence scientific evidence regarding its effectiveness is patchy, and some overviews suggest it is not useful at all. Confusion exists regarding the value of the course. While treatment guidelines advise doctors to refer patients to the program by very few GPs, Rheumatologist or Orthopaedic surgeons do refer. The proposed study is a large controlled trial which will provide essential evidence to inform patients, doctors and policy makers on the benefits of the course. It will involve people with well defined moderate to severe arthritis who have consulted a surgeon or rheumatologist. People will be randomised to receive the intervention (two hours per week, six session course including an 'arthritis self-help' book) will be compared with people in a control group (who only receive the book without instruction). People will be followed for 1 year to see if the course improves quality of life, health behaviours, and whether less health care resources (ie attendance at doctors or less medication use) are used. The results of this study will be influential in determining government policy as the number of people with chronic diseases like arthritis is rapidly growing and the acute healthcare system, including hospitals, are poorly equipped to deal with this growing problem.Read moreRead less
A taxonomy of Australian consumers' food and health knowledge. Identification and measurement of the basic dimensions of food knowledge of consumers will inform new education curricula and community communication programs. The findings will enable better targeting of community and industry education by policy planners, education authorities, and the food industry. They will also enable monitoring and evaluation of food communication programs. In the longer term, this research may also enable cit ....A taxonomy of Australian consumers' food and health knowledge. Identification and measurement of the basic dimensions of food knowledge of consumers will inform new education curricula and community communication programs. The findings will enable better targeting of community and industry education by policy planners, education authorities, and the food industry. They will also enable monitoring and evaluation of food communication programs. In the longer term, this research may also enable citizens to deal with the changes caused by climate change, metabolic disease and increasing longevity; help educate more literate food industry workers; enhance communications between citizens, industry and government; and generate greater demand for higher quality food products.
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External provision of the school curriculum: Local needs to global networks in Health and Physical Education. This project will examine the factors that influence the appeal of and opportunities for external providers of health work (including HPE curricula) in schools at a local, national and international level. It will generate original, global data regarding: the influence of system networks on the creation of health issues; international trends for the external provision of health work prod ....External provision of the school curriculum: Local needs to global networks in Health and Physical Education. This project will examine the factors that influence the appeal of and opportunities for external providers of health work (including HPE curricula) in schools at a local, national and international level. It will generate original, global data regarding: the influence of system networks on the creation of health issues; international trends for the external provision of health work products and services to schools; and, the impact of networked health issues and providers on schooling. The findings will inform: policies related to outsourcing practices across the curriculum; expectations for teachers’ work; and, more broadly, control of young people’s health and the future of schooling. Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0989770
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$80,000.00
Summary
Solid Kids Solid Schools: conceptualising bullying in an Aboriginal context as reported by the Yamaji community. This project holds significant national benefit as the correlations between health and education outcomes are well evidenced as is the unacceptable inequity in education outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. It seeks to improve school attendance, retention and academic achievements, as well as quality of school experience for Aboriginal children
Geelong Healthy Eating and Active Play for Under Fives. Helping children achieve a healthier weight is a major national health priority. About 30% of 4 and 5 year old children are already overweight or obese. Action is urgently needed to prevent further increases yet there have been very few studies in the area. The Geelong Under-5s project in will measure the impact of a comprehensive intervention designed to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity by modifying day care and kindergarte ....Geelong Healthy Eating and Active Play for Under Fives. Helping children achieve a healthier weight is a major national health priority. About 30% of 4 and 5 year old children are already overweight or obese. Action is urgently needed to prevent further increases yet there have been very few studies in the area. The Geelong Under-5s project in will measure the impact of a comprehensive intervention designed to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity by modifying day care and kindergarten settings, by increasing the capacity of staff to teach and model healthy eating and physical activity patterns, and by educating parents at receptive moments in their child's life.Read moreRead less