Promoting Positive Adolescent Psychosocial Development Through Enhancing School Connectedness: Evaluation of an innovative program for teachers. This project contributes to a research priority area of preventing psychosocial problems in adolescence. School connectedness, where students feel included and valued by the school, is a vital protective factor for adolescent well-being. This project implements a program to resource year 8 and 9 teachers (in intervention and wait-list control/intervent ....Promoting Positive Adolescent Psychosocial Development Through Enhancing School Connectedness: Evaluation of an innovative program for teachers. This project contributes to a research priority area of preventing psychosocial problems in adolescence. School connectedness, where students feel included and valued by the school, is a vital protective factor for adolescent well-being. This project implements a program to resource year 8 and 9 teachers (in intervention and wait-list control/intervention schools in both Tasmania and Sydney) to reduce their own stress and promote school connectedness. Evaluation of effectiveness through pre-post and follow-up measures from adolescents, teachers, parents and schools on expected outcomes for adolescents of improved connectedness, well-being, conduct and mental health will provide information on this promising new approach.Read moreRead less
Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula: Addressing the Ben10™ problem. A pedagogical communication strategy has been developed to allow early childhood educators to design curriculum interventions that support children’s learning about healthy eating, the importance of active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. The aim of this study is to conduct a randomised trial to evaluate the efficacy of the curr ....Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula: Addressing the Ben10™ problem. A pedagogical communication strategy has been developed to allow early childhood educators to design curriculum interventions that support children’s learning about healthy eating, the importance of active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. The aim of this study is to conduct a randomised trial to evaluate the efficacy of the curriculum interventions, developed by teachers using this pedagogical communication strategy, on children’s knowledge about healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. This project connects strongly with the learning outcomes of the National Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum to be implemented in 2014.Read moreRead less
Neurodevelopmental disorders and loneliness: School predictors & outcomes. This project aims to establish trajectories of loneliness across the 10-18 year developmental period in adolescents with neuro-developmental disorders (NDDs). This is significant because adolescence is the peak period for loneliness and the social communication difficulties experienced by adolescents with NDDs place them at greater risk of loneliness. Lower levels of school attendance, connectedness and mental well-being, ....Neurodevelopmental disorders and loneliness: School predictors & outcomes. This project aims to establish trajectories of loneliness across the 10-18 year developmental period in adolescents with neuro-developmental disorders (NDDs). This is significant because adolescence is the peak period for loneliness and the social communication difficulties experienced by adolescents with NDDs place them at greater risk of loneliness. Lower levels of school attendance, connectedness and mental well-being, and higher rates of disruptive behaviour, expulsion, drop-out, depression, social withdrawal, and suicide ideation are strongly linked to loneliness. Therefore predicting critical times in trajectories will enhance emotional, behavioural and school related outcomes and optimise economic, societal and quality of life benefits.Read moreRead less
Investigating and promoting resilience in children with intellectual disabilities. Disability is a significant risk factor that threatens health and well-being. For the estimated 4% of 0-14 year old children with diagnosed intellectual disabilities in Australia, early intervention is crucial for promoting resilience and preventing an accumulation of risk. By promoting resilience and thereby reducing the cost of lifelong support, evidence-based interventions produce huge social and economic benef ....Investigating and promoting resilience in children with intellectual disabilities. Disability is a significant risk factor that threatens health and well-being. For the estimated 4% of 0-14 year old children with diagnosed intellectual disabilities in Australia, early intervention is crucial for promoting resilience and preventing an accumulation of risk. By promoting resilience and thereby reducing the cost of lifelong support, evidence-based interventions produce huge social and economic benefits for the nation, as well as for individuals, families and communities.Read moreRead less
International students' sexual and intimate partner violence experiences. This project aims to generate data identifying the nature, circumstances and impacts of sexual and intimate partner violence against female international students in Australia. A range of cultural, social and structural issues may increase the vulnerability of female international students to gendered violence, leading to serious impacts on health and well-being. Yet, little is known about their experiences or how best to ....International students' sexual and intimate partner violence experiences. This project aims to generate data identifying the nature, circumstances and impacts of sexual and intimate partner violence against female international students in Australia. A range of cultural, social and structural issues may increase the vulnerability of female international students to gendered violence, leading to serious impacts on health and well-being. Yet, little is known about their experiences or how best to support them. This project intends to increase the safety of female international students by identifying their risk and protective factors, exploring their experiences and support requirements, and developing best-practice responses. Outcomes of this project include a new conceptual model and guidelines for service providers.Read moreRead less
Making prevention matter: Establishing characteristics of effective child sexual abuse prevention programs. Child sexual abuse is a significant public health problem requiring intervention and prevention. School-based child sexual abuse prevention programs aim to educate children to protect themselves and teach adults skills for protecting children. But programs vary widely in their quality and there is inadequate information available to guide program choice. This fundamental research, undertak ....Making prevention matter: Establishing characteristics of effective child sexual abuse prevention programs. Child sexual abuse is a significant public health problem requiring intervention and prevention. School-based child sexual abuse prevention programs aim to educate children to protect themselves and teach adults skills for protecting children. But programs vary widely in their quality and there is inadequate information available to guide program choice. This fundamental research, undertakes the necessary first steps towards implementing high quality, evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention programs. It will develop an overarching evidence-based conceptual framework for program design and evaluation thus advancing Australia's responses to child protection and enhancing children's healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
Physical activity in the construction of occupation for primary school aged children. Children become less physically active as they make the transition from childhood to adolescence. The physical, medical, social and concomitant psychological sequela of inactivity is of major concern to the community. The aim of this study is to map change in physical activity patterns in an identified group of 315 children currently aged between 6 and 7 years of age. Studies with children in their primary sc ....Physical activity in the construction of occupation for primary school aged children. Children become less physically active as they make the transition from childhood to adolescence. The physical, medical, social and concomitant psychological sequela of inactivity is of major concern to the community. The aim of this study is to map change in physical activity patterns in an identified group of 315 children currently aged between 6 and 7 years of age. Studies with children in their primary school years and of a longitudinal nature such as this one have not to date been undertaken. The study will utilize quantitative and qualitative methodolgies to: (a)describe change,(b) determine the primary socioeconomical, environmental, child and family level factors which explain a decrease in physical activity, and (c) try to understand at the level of child and family what has driven these changes. The outcomes of this study will enable researchers to move forward in developing targeted interventions appropriately at this important age group.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
Some patients with chronic disease struggle to look after their condition at home. An educational approach called teach-back has been shown to improve people’s understanding of how to manage their condition. Teach-back is not commonly used in Australia, but is recommended by key policy documents. This project will develop and test a process for integrating teach-back into pre-discharge care of hospital patients with chronic conditions, by training nurses to act as teach-back mentors.
A cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based physical activity intervention in at-risk communities. This project will test the effect of a professional development program targeting physical education teachers, designed to increase students' opportunities to do physical activity during physical education lessons. It will focus on how to enhance their motivation to not only be physically active during physical education lessons, but also outside school hours.