Aetiology, Burden And Causal Pathways Of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections Using Population Linked Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,476.00
Summary
Lower respiratory, or chest infections, are a problem for many children. This project will investigate the impact of chest infections on hospitals and emergency departments, the viruses and bacteria that cause them, identify those children who are at an increased risk of having chest infections and investigate the impact of routine immunisations on specific types of infections. This project will greatly add to our understanding of chest infections so appropriate interventions can be developed.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Exercise Programs For Preventing Knee Injuries
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,160,491.00
Summary
The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Common ....The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. It is imperative that we formally evaluate the effectiveness of sports injury countermeasures in the context of broad community level participation in sport, in contrast to previous research focussed on professional sport, and begin to deliver the preventive measures to the community. Australian football is a popular sport throughout Australia and it is associated with more medically-treated injuries than any other sport. Knee injuries are particularly common and can have severe consequences. One of the most commonly recommended knee injury prevention strategies is a well-designed exercise training program. Despite their potential to significantly reduce injury rates, the effectiveness of exercise training programs to prevent knee injuries in football, and indeed in most other sports, has not previously been assessed but has been identified as a priority research area by the NHMRC. This project will determine the effectiveness of exercise training programs for preventing knee injuries in community-level football players by monitoring injury rates, player behaviours and player attitudes before and after the training programs are implemented.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Risk Factors Associated With Exposure To Australian Bat Lyssavirus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,344.00
Summary
Australia is one of the few countries in the world known to be free of rabies. A dramatic impact on this status occurred in 1996. A flying fox in northern NSW was found to be infected with a rabies-like virus. Within 16 weeks of this discovery the first human case occurred. A further human case has now been reported. The newly discovered virus, named Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL) was found to be closely related to, but distinguishable from, rabies virus. Rabies virus is responsible for thousan ....Australia is one of the few countries in the world known to be free of rabies. A dramatic impact on this status occurred in 1996. A flying fox in northern NSW was found to be infected with a rabies-like virus. Within 16 weeks of this discovery the first human case occurred. A further human case has now been reported. The newly discovered virus, named Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL) was found to be closely related to, but distinguishable from, rabies virus. Rabies virus is responsible for thousands of human infections each year, mainly in Asia and South Asia where it is endemic in urban dogs. In contrast, other rabies-like viruses have caused only a handful of human infections. Although the number of human cases of ABL is likely to remain low, each of the two known cases has aroused a great deal of public anxiety. The natural hosts appear to be various species of bats which collectively have a distribution along the entire northern and eastern coastlines. The number of potential exposures is therefore quite large and state health departments are devoting considerable resources to dealing with public concerns. This project will establish clearly defined risk factors for exposure to ABL and will allow health authorities to better manage expensive and limited vaccine and therapy resources.Read moreRead less
PneuMum: An RCT Of Maternal Pneumococcal Vaccination For Protection Of Indigenous Children From Ear Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$591,291.00
Summary
Ear disease starts in the first few months of life for most Indigenous children. By school entry, 2 out of every 3 Indigenous children in the NT have hearing problems. This proposal is to renew funding of the PneuMum study, which aims to find out whether the protection that a mother gets when she receives a pneumococcal vaccine late in pregnancy or soon after delivery can help to protect her child from getting ear disease.
Trials To Prevent The Transmission And Complications Of Sexually Transmitted Infections, Including HIV
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,123.00
Summary
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are important causes of illness in some sectors of the community. Even though they can be effectively prevented and treated, many health services do not give them priority. This research project will study ways in which general practitioners can better diagnose and treat STIs. We will carry out trials that compare new approaches to supporting doctors in this area, that involve a mixture of training, reminders and technical support as needed.
This study will follow up over 12,000 men aged 65-83 years who have previously completed a questionnaire about their medical, social, family and occupational history and lifestyle and have undergone a simple physical examination (height, weight, waist, girth at the hips and blood pressure). The first aim is to determine which of these factors predicts serious ill-health from heart disease, stroke and certain cancers in old age. In addition, we will test the hypothesis that risk factors for heart ....This study will follow up over 12,000 men aged 65-83 years who have previously completed a questionnaire about their medical, social, family and occupational history and lifestyle and have undergone a simple physical examination (height, weight, waist, girth at the hips and blood pressure). The first aim is to determine which of these factors predicts serious ill-health from heart disease, stroke and certain cancers in old age. In addition, we will test the hypothesis that risk factors for heart disease also predict the development of dementia because it seems that part of dementia in some patients is explained by their having suffered multiple small strokes. Finally, we will examine the relationship between development of dementia and previous major surgery as there is growing evidence that major surgical operations in older patients can be followed by confusion and impairment of thinking that may never recover fully. The overall aim is to discover preventable factors for several of the leading causes of ill-health in old age.Read moreRead less
Metabolic Syndrome, Inflammation And Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Busselton
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,300.00
Summary
The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It could affect up to 30% of the population and often leads to diabetes and heart disease. Fatty liver disease is a chronic liver condition that often has no symptoms but can lead to serious liver damage. It could affect up to 25% of the population and is common even in people who drink very little alcohol. The rising prevalence of obesity in Australia suggests that the metabolic synd ....The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It could affect up to 30% of the population and often leads to diabetes and heart disease. Fatty liver disease is a chronic liver condition that often has no symptoms but can lead to serious liver damage. It could affect up to 25% of the population and is common even in people who drink very little alcohol. The rising prevalence of obesity in Australia suggests that the metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease may be on the increase and therefore so too could diabetes and heart disease which already consume significant health resources. Using the unique health data collection of the Busselton Health Study in Western Australia, this project will help to determine how common these conditions are in Australia and lead to a better understanding of the nature and causes of these conditions including the possible role of chronic inflammation. This important information will be used to provide opportunities for better risk assessment, disease prevention, and earlier intervention.Read moreRead less
The Real And Changing Atherothrombotic Disease Burden And Secondary Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$507,387.00
Summary
Absolute numbers of Australians with diseased narrowed blood vessels in the heart, brain or leg are increasing, dominating health priorities and expenditure. By linking Department of Health datasets, without identifying individual's, trends in hospital admissions, prescription of chronic protective medications and the cost consequences to the health system among and across conditions will be determined. The findings will provide quality measures of hospital care and inform quality improvement