Teeth tales: A culturally competent community intervention for child oral health in low SES area of urban Melbourne. Dental caries represent the highest burden of disease for pre-school children. Disadvantaged, refugee and migrant communities face an estimated increased prevalence of 60%. Community-based health solutions that are evidence based and cross-sectoral are urgently needed. The potential impact of improved child oral health on social, emotional and learning outcomes is compelling. The ....Teeth tales: A culturally competent community intervention for child oral health in low SES area of urban Melbourne. Dental caries represent the highest burden of disease for pre-school children. Disadvantaged, refugee and migrant communities face an estimated increased prevalence of 60%. Community-based health solutions that are evidence based and cross-sectoral are urgently needed. The potential impact of improved child oral health on social, emotional and learning outcomes is compelling. The child health and service change outcomes of this study will be of direct benefit to the community and will have clear applications for other culturally diverse local government areas in Australia and other developed countries. The findings will directly inform policy/funding decision making by Dental Health Services Victoria for Victorian families and services.Read moreRead less
Investing in the Future of Children in Multicultural Australia - Cultural Competence in Families First (CULCOFAM). Healthy start to life - Discovering how to use valuable parenting knowledge of parents from culturally different backgrounds will help us to draw on them and achieve their childrens' potential (National Agenda for Early Childhood initiative). Preventive healthcare - Knowing how to use cultural resources will help us to promote parenting in culturally appropriate ways, and strengthen ....Investing in the Future of Children in Multicultural Australia - Cultural Competence in Families First (CULCOFAM). Healthy start to life - Discovering how to use valuable parenting knowledge of parents from culturally different backgrounds will help us to draw on them and achieve their childrens' potential (National Agenda for Early Childhood initiative). Preventive healthcare - Knowing how to use cultural resources will help us to promote parenting in culturally appropriate ways, and strengthen capacity for children to grow in best health (Focus on Prevention Initiative). Strengthening Australia's social fabric - The results will help to ensure that child services strengthen local community cohesion, and families can make culturally acceptable choices to better look after their children (National welfare reform and participation agendas). Read moreRead less
Parental engagement in supported playgroups. Supported playgroups are an important strategy within Australia's current family policies. However, supported playgroups have been implemented in the absence of strong theoretical or empirical evidence about their effectiveness in promoting positive outcomes for parents and children in families with high support needs. This study undertakes an important step in establishing an evidence-base for supported playgroup programs, by determining the factors ....Parental engagement in supported playgroups. Supported playgroups are an important strategy within Australia's current family policies. However, supported playgroups have been implemented in the absence of strong theoretical or empirical evidence about their effectiveness in promoting positive outcomes for parents and children in families with high support needs. This study undertakes an important step in establishing an evidence-base for supported playgroup programs, by determining the factors associated with variations in parent engagement. Findings have national benefit by providing key information for enhancing program design and program quality in order to improve the capacity of family support programs to retain vulnerable families in services.Read moreRead less
A Randomised Trial of Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting in a Disadvantaged Community. Home visiting programs comprising intensive and sustained professional home visits over the entire first two years of life (SPHV) show promise as interventions to promote child health and family functioning, and ameliorate disadvantage. This study is the first Australian randomised trial to determine the impact of a comprehensive SPHV program commencing antenatally in a population group living in an area ....A Randomised Trial of Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting in a Disadvantaged Community. Home visiting programs comprising intensive and sustained professional home visits over the entire first two years of life (SPHV) show promise as interventions to promote child health and family functioning, and ameliorate disadvantage. This study is the first Australian randomised trial to determine the impact of a comprehensive SPHV program commencing antenatally in a population group living in an area of known disadvantage. As such this trial is a best-practice demonstration model for professional home visiting in Australia, with significant implications for the development of early childhood policy and strategy throughout Australia.Read moreRead less
Overweight/obesity, Activity Patterns, And Health In 4-year-olds: The Longitudinal Study Of Australian Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$108,800.00
Summary
Levels of overweight and obesity are at an all-time high, but we know little about: - its prevalence in young Australian children - the activity patterns of young children and how this relates to overweight-obesity, at an age when lasting patterns of sedentary behaviour are becoming established. A better understanding of this relationship is important, because low levels of physical activity are probably a major driver in the current epidemic - how overweight-obesity affects very young children ....Levels of overweight and obesity are at an all-time high, but we know little about: - its prevalence in young Australian children - the activity patterns of young children and how this relates to overweight-obesity, at an age when lasting patterns of sedentary behaviour are becoming established. A better understanding of this relationship is important, because low levels of physical activity are probably a major driver in the current epidemic - how overweight-obesity affects very young children - how a familial predisposition to gain weight is translated into excessive weight gain during early childhood The present study will utilise data collected as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). In March 2004, LSAC will enrol a nationally-representative cohort including 5000 4-year-olds for comprehensive longitudinal study, with the first wave of data available for analysis in April 2005. A unique feature of LSAC is direct measurement of children's weight and height coupled with detailed data about their use of time and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The availability of these data will enable us for the first time to study the relationship between childhood overweight-obesity, detailed activity patterns of young children, parental overweight-obesity and the relationship between these variables and children's HRQoL. In late 2003, the National Health and Medical Research Council published its evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents. This application addresses several of its key research recommendations, far more efficiently than could be done if a new study had to be set up specifically for this purpose. The proposal acknowledges the common problem of under-funding for analysis of important large datasets, and seeks to address this issue right from the start of LSAC.Read moreRead less
Early childhood sustained home visiting: outcomes at 4 years and the transition to school. The Commonwealth has been committed to developing a national agenda for early childhood, with a strong focus on development and use of Australian-relevant evidence, an outcomes focus, a focus on vulnerable communities, families and children, and strengths-based approaches. This agenda is also reflected in the key research priority areas of the Commonwealth Government. The proposed study is a critical next ....Early childhood sustained home visiting: outcomes at 4 years and the transition to school. The Commonwealth has been committed to developing a national agenda for early childhood, with a strong focus on development and use of Australian-relevant evidence, an outcomes focus, a focus on vulnerable communities, families and children, and strengths-based approaches. This agenda is also reflected in the key research priority areas of the Commonwealth Government. The proposed study is a critical next step in the development of an Australian evidence base for professional home visiting: a key strategy for the delivery of services to promote the health and development of young Australians. The findings of this study will have significant implications for the development of early childhood policy and strategy throughout Australia.Read moreRead less
Development of a comprehensive model and programmed intervention for emotion processing deficits in childhood-onset mental health problems. This research is in the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health. Mental health problems cost Australia millions of dollars every year as well as creating immeasurable social adversity for individuals and families. The proposed research represents a significant step towards reducing these costs and improving the effectiveness of earl ....Development of a comprehensive model and programmed intervention for emotion processing deficits in childhood-onset mental health problems. This research is in the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health. Mental health problems cost Australia millions of dollars every year as well as creating immeasurable social adversity for individuals and families. The proposed research represents a significant step towards reducing these costs and improving the effectiveness of early intervention and prevention. The research will lead to improvements in methods for early detection of child psychopathology with potential for implementation in both community health and educational services nation-wide. The research partnership will build Australia's capacity for innovative research in the development, early intervention and treatment of mental health problems.Read moreRead less
A study of contemporary family, social and cultural influences on first-time mothers' decisions about infant feeding and early parenting practices. Children who are never breastfed are more likely to experience respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, diabetes and as adults, high blood pressure, obesity and type-2 diabetes. This study of infant feeding decision-making in first-time mothers will inform strategies, grounded in the daily lives of women and families to assist mothers to breastfeed f ....A study of contemporary family, social and cultural influences on first-time mothers' decisions about infant feeding and early parenting practices. Children who are never breastfed are more likely to experience respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, diabetes and as adults, high blood pressure, obesity and type-2 diabetes. This study of infant feeding decision-making in first-time mothers will inform strategies, grounded in the daily lives of women and families to assist mothers to breastfeed for longer particularly in communities where breastfeeding is not the norm. Increased support for breastfeeding women from family, community and health professionals is likely to reduce the distress reported by many new mothers. Strategic application of findings will lead to health gains from increased breastfeeding and translate into significant cost savings for the Australian health system. Read moreRead less
Maternal mental health and anaemia as determinants of infant health and development in resource constrained settings. A healthy start to life is an explicit Australian priority. Maternal health is a major determinant of the health and development of infants. This international collaborative project will contribute evidence about two maternal health conditions: mental disorders and anaemia, and their effects on infant health and development, through research in Vietnam where both are prevalent. ....Maternal mental health and anaemia as determinants of infant health and development in resource constrained settings. A healthy start to life is an explicit Australian priority. Maternal health is a major determinant of the health and development of infants. This international collaborative project will contribute evidence about two maternal health conditions: mental disorders and anaemia, and their effects on infant health and development, through research in Vietnam where both are prevalent. The findings will inform interventions to improve the health of mothers and infants in all resource-constrained settings, including among indigenous and refugee groups in Australia. It will advance Australia's international relations by strengthening a partnership with Viet Nam and contributing to a World Health Organization priority area. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101921
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,000.00
Summary
Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to ....Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to develop and implement evidence-based strategies and policies designed to optimise developmental and health outcomes in young children, specifically in those from a low socio-economic status, thus giving young children the best start in life.Read moreRead less