Effects Of Anti-smoking Advertising, Tobacco-related Press Coverage And Tobacco Control Policies On Smoking Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,696.00
Summary
Tobacco control programs invest significant resources into the production, development, and placement of anti-smoking advertisements. Evaluation of anti-smoking advertising campaigns is made difficult by the fact that they operate within the broader social context of changing tobacco control policies, tobacco marketing, and other forms of relevant paid and unpaid media. Public health advocates spend considerable effort attempting to obtain favourable news coverage about tobacco control issues, y ....Tobacco control programs invest significant resources into the production, development, and placement of anti-smoking advertisements. Evaluation of anti-smoking advertising campaigns is made difficult by the fact that they operate within the broader social context of changing tobacco control policies, tobacco marketing, and other forms of relevant paid and unpaid media. Public health advocates spend considerable effort attempting to obtain favourable news coverage about tobacco control issues, yet virtually no research has systematically related the volume and nature of news coverage on tobacco issues to smoking behaviour change. This study will exploit the existing variation in tobacco control acitvity between states and over time to study effects of these two forms of media and tobacco control policies on youth and adult smoking behaviour. The study will merge reliable measures of exposure to televised anti-smoking advertising, press coverage about tobacco issues and detailed quantified measures of other tobacco control policies, with monthly surveys of smoking prevalence and consumption from 1991 to 2005. This unique monthly survey database has tracked smoking behaviour changes over time and between states using a standard method over the course of a 15-year period. Analysis of the data will determine the most optimum levels of anti-smoking advertised required to reduce smoking, the potential influence of news reporting as a way of educating people to reduce smoking and effects of tobacco policies, such as advertising bans, smoke-free policies and youth access policies on smoking behaviour. By assessing the effectiveness of anti-smoking advertising and other tobacco policies in changing smoking behaviour, this study will guide public health policy and funding decisions related to tobacco control.Read moreRead less
Reconceptualising Health Promotion: The Role Of Values, Ethics And Evidence In Obesity Intervention.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,103.00
Summary
Obesity and overweight are public health priorities. Population-level programs, campaigns and regulations are required to prevent and reduce obesity. How should these interventions proceed? What is effective? What is ethical? How can we avoid doing harm? At present, we do not know. By studying current interventions in detail, and working with experts and practitioners in health promotion and ethics, this project will develop a new framework to guide overweight and obesity intervention in future.
Building Mental Wealth: Improving Mental Health For Better Health Outcomes Among
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,509,816.00
Summary
Mental health issues impact on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians who do not always engage with mainstream mental health services. This project will build the capacity of a critical mass of Indigenous and non Indigenous researchers who will engage, collaborate and work with Indigenous communities, clinicians and health providers to develop a sustainable culturally appropriate mental health policy and service model including adjunctive services to chronic disease management.
Buckle Up Safely: Pre-school Based Interventions For Appropriate Use Of Child Restraints.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$731,552.00
Summary
Despite overwhelming evidence that child restraints dramatically reduce the risk of death and injury there are currently a large number of children globally who either do not use appropriate child restraints, or misuse them, contributing to the overwhelming burden of road traffic injury in children. This project, using rigorous methodology, will assess the efficacy of feasible, evidence based interventions aimed at increased use of appropriate restraints, and decreasing misuse.
A Randomized Trial Of The Impact Of A Multi-intervention Anti-tobacco Strategy In 8 Indigenous Communities.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$567,750.00
Summary
Tobacco smoking represents the major risk to life and health within Australian Indigenous communities. Survey data suggest that prevalence rates for the Indigenous community are more than twice those of the non-Indigenous population. These rates are reflected in the pattern of mortality and morbidity within Indigenous communities. During the period 1989-1999 the smoking-related death rate amongst Indigenous Queenslanders was almost three times greater than that of non-Indigenous Queenslanders. A ....Tobacco smoking represents the major risk to life and health within Australian Indigenous communities. Survey data suggest that prevalence rates for the Indigenous community are more than twice those of the non-Indigenous population. These rates are reflected in the pattern of mortality and morbidity within Indigenous communities. During the period 1989-1999 the smoking-related death rate amongst Indigenous Queenslanders was almost three times greater than that of non-Indigenous Queenslanders. Additionally, tobacco smoking is a major contributing factor in many conditions that constitute significant Indigenous health problems. The natural history of smoking also differs between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Indigenous smokers start younger, are more likely to develop smoking-related conditions and tend to die younger than non-Indigenous smokers. Despite the above statistics, there is little published data on the effectiveness of anti-smoking interventions within Australia's Indigenous populations. Lessons from non-Indigenous communities suggest that the most successful strategies are those that target populations at many different levels. Rather than one isolated intervention, such strategies may include policy initiatives, training and education of health staff, community education and awareness campaigns and increased access to cessation techniques. Indigenous communities generally lack the capacity to initiate these type of tobacco control strategies. This project aims to examine the impact of a multi-intervention anti-tobacco strategy within north Queensland Indigenous communities. The project has three broad aims: 1) to increase the capacity of health services to implement and deliver anti-tobacco interventions; 2) to increase community knowledge and awareness of the risks of smoking and 3) to decrease the level of tobacco consumption within communities.Read moreRead less
Physical Activity And Nutrition For Seniors (PANS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,956.00
Summary
Research has shown that participation in physical activity and the consumption of a healthy diet for older people can produce significant health benefits. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a low cost, accessible, sustainable and replicable, home based physical activity and nutrition program for older people aged 55 to 70 that will ultimately reduce chronic disease (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), and improve mental health.
An Intervention To Improve The Nutrition And Physical Activity Behaviours In Mothers With Young Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,780.00
Summary
The aim of the project is to develop, implement and evaluate a six-month community based intervention that will improve the nutrition and physical activity behaviours of mothers with young children. As mothers are a major influence among the family, an intervention that successfully improves physical activity and nutrition behaviours will also impact on behaviours of the whole family making it a 'whole family' approach.
Enhancing adolescents’ health through digital health literacy. This project aims to understand adolescents’ digital health literacy: their capacity to find, understand, appraise the trustworthiness of, and act appropriately on, digital health information. Technological development is racing ahead of insight into how adolescents use technology for health information and subsequent self-care. We must harness the benefits of these technological advances while protecting adolescent health. In co-des ....Enhancing adolescents’ health through digital health literacy. This project aims to understand adolescents’ digital health literacy: their capacity to find, understand, appraise the trustworthiness of, and act appropriately on, digital health information. Technological development is racing ahead of insight into how adolescents use technology for health information and subsequent self-care. We must harness the benefits of these technological advances while protecting adolescent health. In co-designing a flexible suite of education resources, this project aims to generate critical new knowledge about the digital health literacy of a diverse range of adolescents. It is anticipated that the education resources will provide significant benefits to adolescents through enhanced capacity for self-care.Read moreRead less