Making prevention matter: Establishing characteristics of effective child sexual abuse prevention programs. Child sexual abuse is a significant public health problem requiring intervention and prevention. School-based child sexual abuse prevention programs aim to educate children to protect themselves and teach adults skills for protecting children. But programs vary widely in their quality and there is inadequate information available to guide program choice. This fundamental research, undertak ....Making prevention matter: Establishing characteristics of effective child sexual abuse prevention programs. Child sexual abuse is a significant public health problem requiring intervention and prevention. School-based child sexual abuse prevention programs aim to educate children to protect themselves and teach adults skills for protecting children. But programs vary widely in their quality and there is inadequate information available to guide program choice. This fundamental research, undertakes the necessary first steps towards implementing high quality, evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention programs. It will develop an overarching evidence-based conceptual framework for program design and evaluation thus advancing Australia's responses to child protection and enhancing children's healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
Diffusion and dissemination of a mental health innovation in an educational setting. The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate sustainable strategies for disseminating mental health promotion programs into primary schools in Western Australia. The Aussie Optimism Program is a school-based mental health promotion program, which has shown efficacy in preventing anxiety and depression in young adolescents. These common childhood mental health problems, affect up to 18% of younger adolesce ....Diffusion and dissemination of a mental health innovation in an educational setting. The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate sustainable strategies for disseminating mental health promotion programs into primary schools in Western Australia. The Aussie Optimism Program is a school-based mental health promotion program, which has shown efficacy in preventing anxiety and depression in young adolescents. These common childhood mental health problems, affect up to 18% of younger adolescents in Australia. If the project's implementation and dissemination strategies are successful, school-based implementation of this program has the potential to reduce the prevalence of anxiety and depression in young adolescents by one third. Read moreRead less
Physical activity in the construction of occupation for primary school aged children. Children become less physically active as they make the transition from childhood to adolescence. The physical, medical, social and concomitant psychological sequela of inactivity is of major concern to the community. The aim of this study is to map change in physical activity patterns in an identified group of 315 children currently aged between 6 and 7 years of age. Studies with children in their primary sc ....Physical activity in the construction of occupation for primary school aged children. Children become less physically active as they make the transition from childhood to adolescence. The physical, medical, social and concomitant psychological sequela of inactivity is of major concern to the community. The aim of this study is to map change in physical activity patterns in an identified group of 315 children currently aged between 6 and 7 years of age. Studies with children in their primary school years and of a longitudinal nature such as this one have not to date been undertaken. The study will utilize quantitative and qualitative methodolgies to: (a)describe change,(b) determine the primary socioeconomical, environmental, child and family level factors which explain a decrease in physical activity, and (c) try to understand at the level of child and family what has driven these changes. The outcomes of this study will enable researchers to move forward in developing targeted interventions appropriately at this important age group.Read moreRead less
The efficacy of a referral and physical activity program for survivors of prostate cancer. Although survival rates of prostate cancer are approximately 83 per cent with earlier detection and improved treatment modalities, prostate cancer survivors are at an increased risk of dying from co-morbidities, which may be prevented or ameliorated through participation in physical activity. This project aims to establish an effective and sustainable referral and physical activity program to improve the ....The efficacy of a referral and physical activity program for survivors of prostate cancer. Although survival rates of prostate cancer are approximately 83 per cent with earlier detection and improved treatment modalities, prostate cancer survivors are at an increased risk of dying from co-morbidities, which may be prevented or ameliorated through participation in physical activity. This project aims to establish an effective and sustainable referral and physical activity program to improve the health outcomes of prostate cancer survivors by utilising the influence of clinicians in their delivery of information to patients. This concept of a referral and physical activity program has the potential to translate across all cancer tumour streams to reduce the physiological and psychological burden associated with living with cancer.Read moreRead less
Improving the physical and oral health of people with severe mental illness: using Normalisation Process Theory to support new practices. The physical health of people with severe mental illness is extremely poor, often due to inadequate attention to their health needs by health professionals in primary care and the public mental health system. This project will focus on how practices can be changed to improve the health of this population and increase their access to preventative healthcare.
Improving safety and quality: psychosocial influences of managing medicines by consumers with chronic health problems. Many Australians have multiple chronic conditions that require complex prescribed medicine regimens to control symptoms and prevent further illness. Long-term health outcomes depend on how well consumers manage their medicines. This project will contribute to the development and evaluation of a medicine self-management training package to help consumers understand and manage the ....Improving safety and quality: psychosocial influences of managing medicines by consumers with chronic health problems. Many Australians have multiple chronic conditions that require complex prescribed medicine regimens to control symptoms and prevent further illness. Long-term health outcomes depend on how well consumers manage their medicines. This project will contribute to the development and evaluation of a medicine self-management training package to help consumers understand and manage their complex medication regimens. Optimal medicine self-management improves the consumer's general wellbeing and benefits the Australian community through promoting good health and reducing health care costs.Read moreRead less
Changing disease patterns amongst migrants: a focus on the National Health Priority Areas. The proposed project will make significant practical and scientific contributions to Australians, especially to the health of the migrant population. It is particularly important to the aged migrant population, the people from disadvantaged socioeconomic groups and those with language barriers. The study results will provide a more complete and updated picture of migrant health in Australia. Such important ....Changing disease patterns amongst migrants: a focus on the National Health Priority Areas. The proposed project will make significant practical and scientific contributions to Australians, especially to the health of the migrant population. It is particularly important to the aged migrant population, the people from disadvantaged socioeconomic groups and those with language barriers. The study results will provide a more complete and updated picture of migrant health in Australia. Such important information is necessary to Federal and State departments in their policy making and resource allocation. The study results will be disseminated to local migrant community and migrant service organisation for their health promotion and health education campaigns.Read moreRead less
Sustaining effective educational initiatives. This project aims to investigate how educational initiatives can be sustained over the long term. Schools and early childhood and care services deliver programmes to develop students' social and emotional wellbeing, promote mental health, prevent bullying and address eating disorders. However, effective initiatives often fade away when start-up resources run out. This project will review models of implementation and provide exemplars of good practice ....Sustaining effective educational initiatives. This project aims to investigate how educational initiatives can be sustained over the long term. Schools and early childhood and care services deliver programmes to develop students' social and emotional wellbeing, promote mental health, prevent bullying and address eating disorders. However, effective initiatives often fade away when start-up resources run out. This project will review models of implementation and provide exemplars of good practice to better enable sustainability at all phases of implementation, evaluation and long-term maintenance of educational initiatives.Read moreRead less
Development and evaluation of an Australian adult health literacy program for socially disadvantaged adults attending Tertiary and Further Education (TAFE). Improving health literacy, basic literacy and numeracy skills are national priorities in Australia. This project will develop and evaluate a health literacy program to help socially disadvantaged adults improve their health knowledge, language literacy and numeracy skills and feel empowered to participate in decisions about their health.
An exploratory cluster trial of a sustainable capacity building intervention to promote positive child mental health in Family Day Care. Rarely is solution-oriented intervention research built and conducted with rigorous research designs in communities of extreme disadvantage. This study builds on the enthusiasm of a leading child welfare organisation in its commitment to contribute to evidence for practice-oriented solutions. The research will serve as a model for the Family Day Care and childc ....An exploratory cluster trial of a sustainable capacity building intervention to promote positive child mental health in Family Day Care. Rarely is solution-oriented intervention research built and conducted with rigorous research designs in communities of extreme disadvantage. This study builds on the enthusiasm of a leading child welfare organisation in its commitment to contribute to evidence for practice-oriented solutions. The research will serve as a model for the Family Day Care and childcare sectors. The study is an essential step in the development of an intervention prior to a large-scale evaluation. With a strong evidence base, this program may be implemented widely within the sector nationally, thus addressing a key area of children's health inequalities - mental health.Read moreRead less