Early Predictors And Body Composition Changes Associated With Adiposity Rebound
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$201,650.00
Summary
Overweight and obesity rates are increasing in children, and overweight children have higher risk of adult obesity and therefore diseases including heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The preschool years may offer opportunities to divert children from the path to obesity, before poor physical activity and nutritional habits become firmly established. Adiposity rebound is the time in a child's life (usually around 5 to 6 years of age) when body mass index (BMI) begins to increase after a steady de ....Overweight and obesity rates are increasing in children, and overweight children have higher risk of adult obesity and therefore diseases including heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The preschool years may offer opportunities to divert children from the path to obesity, before poor physical activity and nutritional habits become firmly established. Adiposity rebound is the time in a child's life (usually around 5 to 6 years of age) when body mass index (BMI) begins to increase after a steady decline in BMI in the preschool years. Early adiposity rebound is associated with increased BMI in later life. We don't yet know whether the early adiposity rebound causes the higher BMI, or whether it is simply an early sign of an already-established pathway of behavioural and environmental risk. We need a much better understanding of predictors of early adiposity rebound and the changes that occur to determine if age at adiposity rebound is a modifiable risk factor for adult obesity. This study will document the process and timing of adiposity rebound and the changes in percent body fat and lean body mass that occur during that time. We will also determine whether risk and protective factors for early adiposity rebound and overweight at age 6 years are the same or different. We will study over 400 children on whom extensive data have been collected since birth, including period of gestation, birth weight and length. At various stages during their first two years of life, height, weight, feeding patterns and development were recorded. We will measure BMI and perform bioimpedance analysis (BIA) on these children six times between 4 and 6 years of age. BIA provides a measure of body fat and lean mass that is well accepted by children. This will help determine the relationship between changing BMI at different ages and the fat-to-lean mass ratios associated with those changes. This study is the first to consider body composition changes during adiposity rebound.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Past Sun Exposure, Infection History And Other Exogenous Factors In Multiple Sclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,011.00
Summary
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord that leads to various degrees of disability. The causes of MS are not yet known, and there is presently no cure. However, there is strong evidence that both an inherited susceptibility and environmental factors are important. This environmental case control study will be conducted in Tasmania and will run concurrent to a genetic project on MS which allows assessment of gene-environment interactions. ....Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord that leads to various degrees of disability. The causes of MS are not yet known, and there is presently no cure. However, there is strong evidence that both an inherited susceptibility and environmental factors are important. This environmental case control study will be conducted in Tasmania and will run concurrent to a genetic project on MS which allows assessment of gene-environment interactions. It focuses on infections, timing of childhood infections and long term sun exposure. It has been suggested that MS may be due to an immune disturbance following viral infection and that the timing of childhood infections may be initially important. Also, in Australia, there is a sevenfold increase in MS prevalence as one moves from Queensland to Tasmania. This latitudinal gradient might be due to ultra violet radiation, through an influence on immune function. Beside those main focuses, the study will include other environmental factors like chemicals, diet and vaccinations. Hopefully this project will contribute to a better understanding of the causes of MS, which are relevant for preventative strategies and devising optimal treatment.Read moreRead less
Men, Women And Ageing: Predictors Of Ageing Well In The Australian Longitudinal Study On Womens Health And The Perth He
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,935,634.00
Summary
Maintaining health and independent living are high priorities for Australia’s rapidly expanding older population. This project capitalizes on two existing large-scale studies, to increase our scientific understanding of strategies for maintaining the health and wellbeing of older people living in the community. Two separate longitudinal research projects, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health involving over 12,000 older women selected from every part of Australia, and the Health in ....Maintaining health and independent living are high priorities for Australia’s rapidly expanding older population. This project capitalizes on two existing large-scale studies, to increase our scientific understanding of strategies for maintaining the health and wellbeing of older people living in the community. Two separate longitudinal research projects, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health involving over 12,000 older women selected from every part of Australia, and the Health in Men Study involving over 12,000 older men from Perth, Western Australia, have been following older Australians in order to determine what contributes to older people’s health and quality of life. The new project will combine data from these two studies. The two projects contain a breadth of data and can address the following questions: What health-related, personal, lifestyle and social factors predict survival and healthy non-disabled life in men and women aged 70-90 years? Do changes in lifestyle in older age (eg smoking cessation) affect length and quality of life? Who makes greatest use of health services, and who least, and how does this relate to health outcomes?How are health and lifestyle factors related to social connectedness and independent living in older age? What health and lifestyle factors predict positive mental health in older age? How are older men’s and women’s lifestyles and health status different, and how are they the same? Should health promotion programs in old age target men and women separately, or not?Read moreRead less
Familial, Behavioural And Environmental Determinants Of Respiratory And Metabolic Fitness In Regional South Australia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,321.00
Summary
South Australia is the fattest state in Australia. Limited health surveillance data suggests that Whyalla is fatter, less active, consumes more alcohol and has worse respiratory health than Adelaide. Obesity is linked to poorer respiratory health. Public concern over the effects of air pollution on the health of Whyalla families has prompted us to examine respiratory and metabolic health in Whyalla families in comparison to those in the north-west suburbs of Adelaide.
Cancer And Low-dose Radiation - Possible Effects Of CT Scans In Childhood
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,650.00
Summary
Despite 100 years of research there is uncertainty about effects of low dose radiation from background and medical X-rays. We will measure the incidence of cancer in Australians exposed to CT scans (medical X-rays) as children between 1985 and 2005. Our results, from follow-up to 2009, will show whether there is a small but signicantly increased risk of cancer and guide further improvement in radiation safety standards if these prove to be necessary.
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.
Explaining Social Inequality In Population Oral Health Using A Multilevel Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$103,500.00
Summary
Our preliminary research demonstrated a social gradient in the oral health of Australian adults. Adults who occupy higher positions on the social hierarchy experienced less disease and symptom experience, enhanced quality of life, and better self-rated oral health. Not only were associations made between social position and oral health, but a range of other factors such as personal control, social support, stress, life satisfaction, and workplace and childhood social environments were also assoc ....Our preliminary research demonstrated a social gradient in the oral health of Australian adults. Adults who occupy higher positions on the social hierarchy experienced less disease and symptom experience, enhanced quality of life, and better self-rated oral health. Not only were associations made between social position and oral health, but a range of other factors such as personal control, social support, stress, life satisfaction, and workplace and childhood social environments were also associated with oral wellness. This work is new Australian research and is yet to be published. In an expansion of this project, we move from describing oral health inequalities and identifying their social determinants to provide a better understanding of pathways to population oral health. In doing so we shift the focus from the individual to the social context in which individuals live. We suggest that characteristics of social environments contribute independently to the variation in oral health outcomes accounted for by the characteristics of the residents themselves. In particular, we seek to demonstrate that social cohesion (the social integration, trust, and reciprocity within an area) influences conditions linked to oral health. Previous research has demonstrated variation in health according to area. Such studies are able to demonstrate a clustering of health, but are not able to distinguish whether observed social patterns in health reflect characteristics of residents or some feature of the area itself. Such conclusions require multilevel statistical models designed to separate individual effects from contextual effects while simultaneously examining interactions between both levels. Oral health is ideally suited as a proxy for general health because of the ubiquity of dental diseases, the broad utilisation of dental services within the population, and the shared risk factors between oral disease and a wide range chronic health conditions.Read moreRead less
Prof Lynch is an epidemiologist interested in understanding, quantifying, developing, and applying the evidence base for universal, targeted and clinical population health interventions, particularly in early life, that will improve overall population health and reduce health inequalities.