Understanding And Overcoming Cardiovascular And Diabetes Inequalities In Indigenous Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$707,370.00
Summary
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders experience the highest rates of heart disease and diabetes of all Australians. The reasons for this large disparity is not yet fully understood. I propose to investigate the patterns, causes, complications and links between heart disease and diabetes in Indigenous populations to identify better ways of managing and preventing chronic disease in high risk communities.
Psychosocial Disability And Return To Work In Younger Stroke Survivors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$511,216.00
Summary
Each year about 12,000 Australians of working age survive a stroke. These younger survivors have responsibility for generating an income or providing care for families and state that their main objective is to return to work for financial reasons and to help rebuild confidence and independence. This observational 3 year study will determine thefactors are associated with returning to work, improving the wellbeing of thousands of stroke survivors and their families using multivariate regression.
Understanding The Risk Factors And Burden Of Heart Disease And Stroke For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$86,117.00
Summary
Heart disease and stroke is the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and accounts for over one quarter in the life expectancy gap. A recent survey found that 59% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women live with heart disease or stroke. This PhD seeks to understand the risks of, and hospitalisation and mortality from heart disease and stroke in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The project is guided by a women’s Advisory Group.
Testing The Behavioural And Psychosocial Mechanisms Underlying Geographic Variation In Metabolic Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,457.00
Summary
This study seeks to assess the mechanisms that explain the link between residential area features and the metabolic syndrome (obesity and high blood pressure, lipids and glucose), related to cardiometabolic diseases. There is more metabolic syndrome in disadvantaged areas but the reasons for this have not been empirically established. We will evaluate behavioural and psychosocialmechanisms that might independently and jointly explain the association between place and metabolic syndrome.
Disentangling The Interrelationship Between Multimordibity, Multimedicine Use, And Cardiovascular Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,978.00
Summary
Australians are living longer, but are also living with more health conditions and taking more medicines to treat those conditions. For people with cardiovascular disease (CVD), this is a problem as hundreds of non-cardiac medicines known to increase the risk of cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure. We will take a holistic, patient-centred approach determine the true burden of CVD related to use of medicines to treat comorbid conditions in Australia.
Reducing The Mortality Gap For People With Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,231,125.00
Summary
People with schizophrenia die >16 years earlier than the general population, mostly due to avoidable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. This research aims to conduct clinical trials among people with schizophrenia of 1. an existing diabetes medication (metformin) to prevent initial weight gain due to antipsychotic medications and 2. a novel diabetes medication (exenatide) to help people who don’t have adequate weight loss with metformin.
Stress During Pregnancy And The Developmental Origins Of Renal Disease In Aboriginal Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$866,044.00
Summary
There is an epidemic of renal failure in Aboriginal people who also have high rates of premature birth of small babies. This project aims to understand the causes of kidney failure in Aboriginal people through testing if stress during pregnancy leads to the birth of preterm, small babies with small poorly formed kidneys that lead to kidney failure in later life. The effect of stressors impacting on pregnant women including infections, exposure to smoking and social stressors will be examined.
Clinical And Psychosocial Changes Over Late Childhood And Adolescence And Early Life Determinants Of Long Term Clinical Outcomes In Cystic Fibrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,135,570.00
Summary
Cystic fibrosis is the most common life shortening inherited disease in Caucasians. Lung damage starts in infancy and lung function falls most rapidly in adolescence although why and how this happens and early life determinants are not known. This study takes advantage of a previous study that monitored young children from 3 months to 5 years of life and follows them closely through early adolescence to investigate the protective and risk factors for falling lung function.
Treating Insomnia Co-morbid With Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Effectiveness Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,869.00
Summary
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a common but serious sleep disorder. Continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) therapy can be very effective in treating OSA. We have found that many patients with OSA also suffer from insomnia, and this can make it hard for them to begin CPAP therapy and hard for them to stick to it. This trial will examine the effect of treating insomnia concurrently with CPAP, with the expectation that overall treatment outcomes will improve.