Do perceptions of morality of alcohol, tobacco & cannabis use influence uptake in high school? In Australia, the cost of drug use was estimated at $34.4 billion in 1998-89. Preventing or delaying alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among adolescents is a way of reducing substance use among adults, and therefore, reduces the health, social and economic costs associated with substance use. This study will assess the protective/vulnerability effect of a range of variables on youth substance use i ....Do perceptions of morality of alcohol, tobacco & cannabis use influence uptake in high school? In Australia, the cost of drug use was estimated at $34.4 billion in 1998-89. Preventing or delaying alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among adolescents is a way of reducing substance use among adults, and therefore, reduces the health, social and economic costs associated with substance use. This study will assess the protective/vulnerability effect of a range of variables on youth substance use including morality and legitimacy concepts. These data will guide the development of curriculum components to enhance the effect of school-based interventions with respect to substance use, and provide practical recommendations for community interventions targeted at substance use.Read moreRead less
What works best for youth smoking prevention messages? In Australia, tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease, resulting in over 19,000 deaths annually. The morbidity and mortality associated with smoking costs the community over $21 billion a year. People who start smoking when they are young are more likely to smoke heavily as adults, to become more dependent on nicotine and to be at increased risk of smoking-related illness or death. This research study will provi ....What works best for youth smoking prevention messages? In Australia, tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease, resulting in over 19,000 deaths annually. The morbidity and mortality associated with smoking costs the community over $21 billion a year. People who start smoking when they are young are more likely to smoke heavily as adults, to become more dependent on nicotine and to be at increased risk of smoking-related illness or death. This research study will provide practical recommendations for future tobacco control television advertising targeted at youth in terms of the elements featured in tobacco control advertisements that increase advertising effectiveness. Read moreRead less
Identification of Australian-bred apple and plum varieties with enhanced health attributes. Improved prevention could save Australia $4 billion annually in health care costs, mainly in the area of cardiovascular disease. A higher flavonoid intake has been estimated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 20%. Apples are important sources of flavonoids in the diet. The proposed project involves collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia and the U ....Identification of Australian-bred apple and plum varieties with enhanced health attributes. Improved prevention could save Australia $4 billion annually in health care costs, mainly in the area of cardiovascular disease. A higher flavonoid intake has been estimated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 20%. Apples are important sources of flavonoids in the diet. The proposed project involves collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia and the University of Western Australia. The aim is to identify progeny of both the apple and plum breeding programs that have elite levels of flavonoids and to demonstrate health benefits of a high-flavonoid apple. This could lead to significant benefits to Australian horticulture and to population health.Read moreRead less
Evaluation of a psychological anti-doping intervention for athletes. This project builds on previous research that developed a psychological profile of athletes susceptible to doping. The primary objective is to refine and pilot an intervention involving psycho-educational activities and exercises that can be used to reduce an athlete's susceptibility to doping. Current anti-doping programs focus on knowledge of banned substances, reporting and testing requirements, and penalties for noncomplian ....Evaluation of a psychological anti-doping intervention for athletes. This project builds on previous research that developed a psychological profile of athletes susceptible to doping. The primary objective is to refine and pilot an intervention involving psycho-educational activities and exercises that can be used to reduce an athlete's susceptibility to doping. Current anti-doping programs focus on knowledge of banned substances, reporting and testing requirements, and penalties for noncompliance. These programs ignore psychological variables that may render an athlete susceptible to doping. The successful application of the psychological anti-doping intervention is expected to provide an internationally significant contribution to doping prevention and the social science research on which it is based.Read moreRead less
A mental health "thermometer" to monitor and prevent adverse treatment outcomes and self-harm among psychiatric inpatients. Our project stands to prevent adverse outcomes in psychiatric patients. An estimated 660 000 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals each year; 99 000 of these people are worse off following treatment (assuming a deterioration rate of 15 per cent). Since monitoring can halve that rate, if this project can halve the deterioration rate again, then 24 750 inpatients acr ....A mental health "thermometer" to monitor and prevent adverse treatment outcomes and self-harm among psychiatric inpatients. Our project stands to prevent adverse outcomes in psychiatric patients. An estimated 660 000 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals each year; 99 000 of these people are worse off following treatment (assuming a deterioration rate of 15 per cent). Since monitoring can halve that rate, if this project can halve the deterioration rate again, then 24 750 inpatients across the nation would not be worse off after treatment representing an annual saving of nearly $19.2 million per annum and reduce the number of patients who fall into a cycle of admission and readmission. Further, although suicide occurs in less than one per cent of admissions, if this research is able to predict and then reduce the suicide rate by as little as 10 per cent, then 660 lives can be saved each year.Read moreRead less
The weighty issue of childhood obesity: an investigation of the role of junk food advertising. Australian children have been getting continuously fatter since the 1970s. The direct health cost implications amount to $830 million annually. Most fat kids also become fat adults, suggesting a future health crisis in Australia. Junk food advertising is extremely heavy during children's television and is thought to contribute greatly to childhood obesity because children are highly susceptible to t ....The weighty issue of childhood obesity: an investigation of the role of junk food advertising. Australian children have been getting continuously fatter since the 1970s. The direct health cost implications amount to $830 million annually. Most fat kids also become fat adults, suggesting a future health crisis in Australia. Junk food advertising is extremely heavy during children's television and is thought to contribute greatly to childhood obesity because children are highly susceptible to the suggestions of ads. The present research will help policy makers decide the most appropriate regulation of food advertising to children, and has the potential to reduce the proportion of Australian kids who are fat, thereby saving billions of dollars in health costs.Read moreRead less
The entrainment of circadian rhythms in marsupial mammals: behavioural and sub-cellular investigation of non-rod, non-cone ocular photoreceptors. Our investigation will provide a contribution to understanding the role that photoreceptors play in the mechanisms that control circadian rhythms and will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the basic physiology of sleep and circadian cycles, their contribution to learning and memory and their impact on waking performance. Targeted drug develo ....The entrainment of circadian rhythms in marsupial mammals: behavioural and sub-cellular investigation of non-rod, non-cone ocular photoreceptors. Our investigation will provide a contribution to understanding the role that photoreceptors play in the mechanisms that control circadian rhythms and will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the basic physiology of sleep and circadian cycles, their contribution to learning and memory and their impact on waking performance. Targeted drug development and the design of lighting systems effective in regulating circadian rhythms will improve the quality of life and competitiveness of the many citizens who endure abnormal sleep/wakefulness schedules.Read moreRead less
Neuroimaging changes underpinning improvements in cognition in the elderly. Natural supplements are often used to improve brain and cognitive function, however, we do not know how these supplements work in the brain. Using novel brain imaging scans, the project will investigate whether 12-month administration of two promising natural supplements improves brain markers of ageing and cognitive decline in an elderly population.
Advanced microelectronic transistor structures for novel biosensor technology. This international, interdisciplinary team aims to develop an electronic biosensor technology that will significantly advance biomedical research to combat human disease. This is likely to have a major social impact on the community, improve health outcomes and generate substantial economic potential for the pharmaceutical industry. The principal benefit of this research will be the fabrication of electronic devices b ....Advanced microelectronic transistor structures for novel biosensor technology. This international, interdisciplinary team aims to develop an electronic biosensor technology that will significantly advance biomedical research to combat human disease. This is likely to have a major social impact on the community, improve health outcomes and generate substantial economic potential for the pharmaceutical industry. The principal benefit of this research will be the fabrication of electronic devices based on advanced materials, significantly reducing the time, the biological material used and the complexity of assessing human cell function. In addition to improving health through novel biosensor techniques, this technology is expected to lead to the creation of commercially important intellectual property.Read moreRead less
Optimum design of controlled drug delivery systems. Controlled drug delivery systems are ideal to achieve localised release of drugs at an effective rate for a prolonged period. They have the merit of optimising drug absorption by a body, relieving patients from frequent administration and high dosage of drugs which often result in drug wastage, patients' inconvenience and more importantly the side effects that can be fatal. The success of this project will (1) enhance the Australia pharmaceutic ....Optimum design of controlled drug delivery systems. Controlled drug delivery systems are ideal to achieve localised release of drugs at an effective rate for a prolonged period. They have the merit of optimising drug absorption by a body, relieving patients from frequent administration and high dosage of drugs which often result in drug wastage, patients' inconvenience and more importantly the side effects that can be fatal. The success of this project will (1) enhance the Australia pharmaceutical industry's competitiveness in the global market, (2) provide good medication for the treatment of various diseases, promoting good health of Australians, (3) lead to new mathematical models and solutions that are also applicable to such fields as resources and environmental systems.Read moreRead less