A Randomised Controlled Trial Of An Online Intervention To Improve Healthy Food Purchases From Primary School Canteens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$725,373.00
Summary
Children use school canteens to purchase food more frequently than any other food outlet. Online canteens, where school lunches are ordered via the web, are increasingly prevalent in Australian schools. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of integrating consumer behaviour strategies (such as menu labelling, promoting and product positioning) into an online canteen ordering system in reducing the total energy, saturated fat, sugar and sodium content of student lunch orders.
Scheduling Frequent Opportunities For Outdoor Play – A Simple Approach To Increase Physical Activity In Childcare
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,955.00
Summary
Australian preschool aged children are not sufficiently active, increasing their risk of a variety of health conditions. When at childcare, previous research has found that children are particularly activity during the first 10-15 minutes of outdoor play. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of changing the scheduling of periods of outdoor play within preschools.
Creating Healthy Environments: Integrating And Evaluating Aboriginal Health Promotion In The Goulburn-Murray Region
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$643,895.00
Summary
Health promotion is important for managing chronic illness and increasing wellbeing, but we know little about how Aboriginal organisations design and run health promotion activities. This project looks at the aims and strategies of Aboriginal health promotion; what things assist or prevent organisations from running health promotion programs; and evaluates whether establishing an Alliance of community organisations helps with implementing health promotion and increases its effectiveness.
Does A Health In All Policies Approach Improve Health, Well-being And Equity?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$968,325.00
Summary
This project will develop understanding of complex policy initiatives for health & well being which operate across government departments. It will do this through a case study of the SA Government’s Health in All Policies approach which aims to get government departments to develop policies which build a healthier population and reduce health inequities. This research will assess that process, report on what helps and hinders and develop research methods suitable for complex policy evaluation.
Preventing Obesity And Promoting Healthy Body Image In Australian Secondary Schools: A Web-based System Tailored To Individual Needs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,320,398.00
Summary
This study will test an individually tailored body image and weight management program. The program is delivered online to students in early secondary school and builds on our partnership with Stanford University adapting internet programs for use in Australia. Staying Fit Australia gives individual guidance about concerns and attitudes to weight and shape, nutrition and physical activity. The program aims to prevent obesity and promote healthy nutrition and physical activity in all adolescents.
Learning Clubs To Improve Women’s Health And Infant’s Health And Development In Vietnam: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Low-cost, Evidence-informed, Structured Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,372,748.00
Summary
Poor physical and mental health among women in resource-constrained settings and the flow-on consequences for their infants are international priorities. No intervention to improve early childhood development in these settings has addressed more than two (of eight) major risk factors. Our aim is to establish in a cluster RCT in rural Vietnam the impact of a comprehensive, integrated, low-cost, accessible, universal program addressing all eight risks, for women’s health and infant development.
Active Team – Examining An Online Social Networking Intervention To Increase Physical Activity In Controlled (RCT) And Ecological (ET) Settings
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$814,041.00
Summary
Lifestyle diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, are key health problems facing Australia. Effective, low-cost, mass-reach physical activity interventions are urgently needed. This project uses online social networks to deliver an innovative physical activity intervention. This project will determine how effective the software is in changing people’s lifestyle over 12 months, and whether viral marketing techniques can be used to disseminate the program on a mass scale.
Identifying New Targets For Primary School Mental Health Interventions Using Population Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$798,882.00
Summary
This project assesses the mental health and well-being of ~87,000 children aged 10 years in New South Wales, and links this information (anonymously) with data on school-based mental health interventions, and data on health, education, and welfare collected from birth. We will identify factors that promote mental health and reduce ill-health. We hope to improve child health by developing new ways to detect early vulnerability for ill-health, and by identifying new health promotion opportunities.
HELP - A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention For Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$686,127.00
Summary
Instead of receiving care to address factors associated with chronic low back pain, such as being overweight and smoking, patients are referred for expensive and ineffective treatments, for which they wait for extended periods. This leads to worsening of low back pain symptoms and higher risks of other chronic disease. We will conduct the first study to assess if weight loss and smoking cessation programs can improve low back pain in patients waiting for surgery consultation.
Reducing consumption of sugary drinks (or sugar-sweetened beverages) would improve the healthiness of young Australians’ diets. Young Australians drink sugary drinks in high quantities, and they contribute a lot of ‘empty calories’ to the diet. They are also known to cause tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. This study will test the effectiveness of consumer information/warning labels on drink containers in reducing the purchase of SSBs.