Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefi ....Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefits of complex community-based initiatives will help policymakers identify the set of initiatives that provide the best outcomes for the community they serve, as well as informing the optimal specification of the individual initiatives.Read moreRead less
Spatial analysis of a linked environmental, health and social data base. Extensive environmental, health and socio-demographic data are routinely collected by various agencies throughout Australia. To date, it has been difficult to link separate databases and investigate possible associations between the different parameters within them. In this proposal we plan to link routinely collected health, environment and socio-demographic data from a number of databases. We then plan to develop tools fo ....Spatial analysis of a linked environmental, health and social data base. Extensive environmental, health and socio-demographic data are routinely collected by various agencies throughout Australia. To date, it has been difficult to link separate databases and investigate possible associations between the different parameters within them. In this proposal we plan to link routinely collected health, environment and socio-demographic data from a number of databases. We then plan to develop tools for geo-referencing the data. Finally we plan to perform spatial analysis of the linked data, specifically investigating associations between environmental and social factors and childhood leukaemia, deliberate self harm and adverse birth outcomes. Linking separate databases and performing spatial analysis of georeferenced data will substantially improve the quality of public health surveillance and research in NSW. In addition, it will enable more detailed analysis of the effects of environmental exposures on health, using routine data.Read moreRead less
Establishing Breastfeeding: an analysis of the language and practices used by midwives and lactation consultants when interacting with new mothers. Breastfeeding confers extensive health benefits for infants and women, and social and economic benefits for Australian society. Studies indicate that although 80 to 90 percent of women initiate breastfeeding, approximately 25% cease within the first six weeks. It is estimated that if the prevalence of breastfeeding at three months post-birth increase ....Establishing Breastfeeding: an analysis of the language and practices used by midwives and lactation consultants when interacting with new mothers. Breastfeeding confers extensive health benefits for infants and women, and social and economic benefits for Australian society. Studies indicate that although 80 to 90 percent of women initiate breastfeeding, approximately 25% cease within the first six weeks. It is estimated that if the prevalence of breastfeeding at three months post-birth increased from 60% to 80%, a saving of at least $11.5 million would be made to the Australian health system. This study will provide knowledge about the impact of health professionals' practices on women's infant-feeding decisions, identifying effective components of professional support to inform interventions that increase breastfeeding durationRead moreRead less
Real-time scheduling of trains to control peak electricity demand. This project aims to develop new scheduling and control methods that will enable railways to reduce their demand for electricity during peak demand periods, without undue disruption to the timetable.
These new methods and systems will integrate with—and expand the capabilities of—an Australian train control system that is used by railways around the world. This will enable better management of electricity within a region and be ....Real-time scheduling of trains to control peak electricity demand. This project aims to develop new scheduling and control methods that will enable railways to reduce their demand for electricity during peak demand periods, without undue disruption to the timetable.
These new methods and systems will integrate with—and expand the capabilities of—an Australian train control system that is used by railways around the world. This will enable better management of electricity within a region and better use of renewable energy sources, with significant cost savings for railways and the wider community.Read moreRead less
An investigation of the nature and effects of point-of-sale promotions for alcohol beverages. There is increasing evidence that alcohol consumption is influenced by alcohol advertising, pricing, and marketing activities. However, the current lack of clear evidence on the effect of different promotions (such as reduced-price drinks, competitions etc) means that the current guidelines are unclear and unenforceable. This project will provide clear guidance for policy makers on the effects of the di ....An investigation of the nature and effects of point-of-sale promotions for alcohol beverages. There is increasing evidence that alcohol consumption is influenced by alcohol advertising, pricing, and marketing activities. However, the current lack of clear evidence on the effect of different promotions (such as reduced-price drinks, competitions etc) means that the current guidelines are unclear and unenforceable. This project will provide clear guidance for policy makers on the effects of the different forms of alcohol promotions, allowing for better monitoring and regulation of alcohol marketing. The key benefit of this project lies in the potential to develop a clear strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm by addressing inappropriate marketing and promotion of alcohol. Read moreRead less
Introducing computer-based documentation to Residential Aged Care: a multi-method evaluation of success. Improvements to quality and use of evidence-based methods in residential aged-care are restricted due to the very slow adoption of electronic information systems. This research will provide key investors, government, aged care providers and IT vendors, with tools to measure success in introducing IT into this sector. The project will create a platform with the national peak body, to dissemina ....Introducing computer-based documentation to Residential Aged Care: a multi-method evaluation of success. Improvements to quality and use of evidence-based methods in residential aged-care are restricted due to the very slow adoption of electronic information systems. This research will provide key investors, government, aged care providers and IT vendors, with tools to measure success in introducing IT into this sector. The project will create a platform with the national peak body, to disseminate lessons in successful implementation of computerised systems in residential aged-care, based on studies in two states. The studies will also benefit the international community researching technology adoption, by extending its boundary condition to a novel setting.Read moreRead less
A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) based Point of Care (POC) e-Health Solution for Ambulatory Care Services. The proposed PDA based POC system will provide for collection, delivery and exchange of timely information at point of care. The advantage of such a system will be its high mobility and flexibility matching complex healthcare workflow requirements. Through a prototype development for Ambulatory Care Services generic reusable and scalable components will be designed. The prototype will pr ....A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) based Point of Care (POC) e-Health Solution for Ambulatory Care Services. The proposed PDA based POC system will provide for collection, delivery and exchange of timely information at point of care. The advantage of such a system will be its high mobility and flexibility matching complex healthcare workflow requirements. Through a prototype development for Ambulatory Care Services generic reusable and scalable components will be designed. The prototype will provide an immediate solution to the problem of improving workflow and work processes within Ambulatory Care services and delivery more efficient healthcare. The development of reusable and scalable components will mean that Ambulatory Care Services will have an application that is technology independent and thus allow new technologies to be "plugged in" as they become available and other mobile healthcare community workers will be able to utilize the components for applications of PDAs at POC.Read moreRead less
Implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive sun protection program for adolescents. Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, costing our health system an estimated $300 million each year. The majority of skin cancers are preventable, if the public could be persuaded to adequately protect themselves from the sun, especially during childhood and adolescence. Australia currently leads the world in the development of sun protection education campaigns for children. Howev ....Implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive sun protection program for adolescents. Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, costing our health system an estimated $300 million each year. The majority of skin cancers are preventable, if the public could be persuaded to adequately protect themselves from the sun, especially during childhood and adolescence. Australia currently leads the world in the development of sun protection education campaigns for children. However, adolescent sun protection behaviours continue to decrease, and very few programs have shown potential for any impact on this key target group. This project will provide much-needed evidence on the effectiveness of carefully researched and targeted programs for adolescents.Read moreRead less
The use of social marketing theory and practice to develop innovative and comprehensive sun protection campaigns. This project uses both academic theory and best-practice in real-world campaigns to develop a comprehensive strategy for the development of theoretically-sound and innovative campaign for the promotion of sun protection behaviours. It then utilises this strategy for the actual development, implementation, and evaluation of the campaign, conducted under the auspices of the highly-reg ....The use of social marketing theory and practice to develop innovative and comprehensive sun protection campaigns. This project uses both academic theory and best-practice in real-world campaigns to develop a comprehensive strategy for the development of theoretically-sound and innovative campaign for the promotion of sun protection behaviours. It then utilises this strategy for the actual development, implementation, and evaluation of the campaign, conducted under the auspices of the highly-regarded industry partner, The Cancer Council NSW. Further, the knowledge gained in the review of existing campaigns, the analysis of literature in theory and practice, and the campaign development and evaluation will greatly enhance our ability to develop cost-effective social marketing campaigns to improve the well-being of Australians.Read moreRead less
A consumer-adoption study: Exercise training for the healthy elderly in an Australian retirement community setting. Investigates the consumer-adoption process (knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation) for an exercise training service in a retirement village. This project will evaluate the psychological and physical impacts of the new exercise service. From a consumer behaviour perspective it will examine behavioural outcomes (adoption vs non-adoption), as well as the ....A consumer-adoption study: Exercise training for the healthy elderly in an Australian retirement community setting. Investigates the consumer-adoption process (knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation) for an exercise training service in a retirement village. This project will evaluate the psychological and physical impacts of the new exercise service. From a consumer behaviour perspective it will examine behavioural outcomes (adoption vs non-adoption), as well as the individual differences that distinguish adopters from non-adopters. Finally, it will examine customer intentions (i.e. intention to stay, intention to recommend). The project will establish the product/service effectiveness and acceptability in Australia, as well as the marketing potential of the program for Australian retirement villages in general.Read moreRead less