Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers are leading research that empowers Indigenous women to share their stories of health and wellbeing. But what happens when health researchers relive the trauma of their participants?
Dr Anne-Marie Eades is an Aboriginal woman, registered nurse and health researcher whose paper for Public Health Research & Practice looks at her own experience of vicarious trauma while conducting research. She talks with the Sax Institute about the paper and the best ways to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers out in the field.
Could you tell us about your experiences as a health researcher and what led you to this topic in particular?
I learned about death and dying at a very early age. Three of my siblings died before the age of 30 and another at the age of 39, so as you can imagine, this has had a devastating effect on me and my family in relation to the trauma and grief of losing loved ones.
After working in perioperative settings as a nurse and continuously seeing examples of the disparity in health between Aboriginal people and other Australians, I moved into research with the intention of reducing that disparity. I went on to do a master’s in nursing, where I had the opportunity to conduct research in Aboriginal communities, exploring issues related to chronic disease management.
In 2011, we experienced death again with my sister dying at the age of 54. This led me to look at the roles and responsibilities Aboriginal women have in their families and how these roles impact on managing their own chronic disease.
How have the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research participants affected you?
As part of my PhD, I conducted interviews with 72 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to explore their experiences of living with chronic disease. Many of these women disclosed compelling stories of death, trauma, domestic violence, and intergenerational incarceration.
I was consistently aware of how privileged I was to be in that position to listen to their stories. As a researcher, you’re constantly aware of the power imbalance when you’re taking all this information from participants. But when I returned home from conducting the research, I felt depressed, withdrawn and emotionally unwell.
I think when you talk about vicarious trauma, it’s a process where your own experiences are negatively transformed through engaging with someone else’s trauma. It was uncomfortable and challenging. But it was also important because I appreciated just how much the women’s stories resonated with my experience. This is also why it is so important that Aboriginal people lead Aboriginal research. I had unique insights and understood how carefully the information would need to be shared.
What helped you deal with or manage the vicarious trauma that you experienced as a result of the research?
I was lucky to be surrounded by people who could support me, and I ended up receiving the support that I needed. But had I not pointed it out to someone – the way I was feeling – I could have gone through this in silence.
I was fortunate to have a supervisor who works in mental health who provided a platform for me to debrief about my experiences once I alerted her to the issue I was facing. I was provided with information on counselling services and on-line resources in support of people experiencing vicarious trauma. I was also encouraged to maintain my personal self-care and to take time for life-work balance.
It’s so important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to take control of their own research – what do you think is the best way to provide support for these researchers?
In safeguarding against vicarious trauma particularly, I think it’s important we ensure that universities and supervisors are adequately prepared and trained to support researchers who are engaging in this space.
We have safety protocols for our participants in case they become distressed during or after interviews, protocols to contact healthcare professionals if we have immediate concerns about participants’ health, and safety protocols for researchers to notify someone before interviews start and when they are complete – for personal safety reasons. We need to have similar safety protocols for ourselves as well. I think policies and procedures within universities and research organisations need to be in place to ensure that people are aware they might be at risk of vicarious trauma, know how to recognise the early signs, and understand the ways to prevent or reduce the likelihood of developing vicarious trauma.
Read Dr Anne-Marie Eades’ full paper here
Discover other PHRP research papers that are making an impact
Megan Howe February 18th, 2020
Posted In: PHRP in the news
Tags: Aboriginal health, mental health
The figures are stark and sobering: Australian men have a shorter life expectancy than women and die from heart disease at nearly twice the rate – statistically men seek medical advice much later in the course of their illness.
How to turn things around? An online-early paper published in the Sax Institute’s peer-reviewed journal Public Health Research & Practice takes a look at Sons of the West, a men’s health program in West Melbourne associated with the Western Bulldogs AFL club.
Read the full story here.
Megan Howe January 30th, 2020
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
The Sax Institute’s journal Public Health Research & Practice (PHRP) is turning five – and what a half decade it’s been, publishing peer-reviewed papers that have a real-world impact.
In five years, with the publication of 22 issues and 221 papers, the journal has transformed from The NSW Public Health Bulletin to an internationally recognised journal.
Editor-in-Chief Professor Don Nutbeam says the anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of the journal and its many past contributors at the NSW Ministry of Health, where it was originally published for nearly 25 years before passing to the Sax Institute in 2014.
“From its very pragmatic origins, PHRP has since grown into a journal that is Australian in character, but international in its outlook,” says Professor Nutbeam. “And we’re proud to be distinctive in this ambition – bringing together science and practice in public health, in a form that is both accessible and useable by researchers, public health practitioners and policy makers.”
To date, PHRP has published articles from more than 650 authors, attracted 3,200 subscribers, and continues to grow internationally, with 40% of readers now outside Australia. The vision has always been to unearth innovative, high-quality papers that inform public health policy and practice, from a startling 2016 review of the health risks of passive exposure to electronic cigarette vapour, to a perspective piece by world-renowned public health expert Professor Trisha Greenhalgh on how to improve the chances of success for technology projects in healthcare.
Themed editions of the journal have drawn together leading experts and the latest research to highlight, explain and offer solutions to some of the greatest public health challenges of our time, such as managing the effects of climate change on health and reducing childhood obesity.
Some of the journal’s papers have also sparked public debate. One example is this paper in the September 2019 issue, which found that lobbying on behalf of food, alcohol and gambling companies by ex-politicians and political staffers was posing a serious threat to public health. A front-page piece in The Australian newspaper and extensive media coverage set off discussion about the need for tighter regulations around ‘cooling-off periods’ between government employment and lobbying roles.
Also receiving widespread interest was a paper featured in the July 2019 issue (created in partnership with Cancer Institute NSW and Cancer Council Australia), which revealed the emerging issues in cancer screening in Australia. The authors highlighted that lung cancer screening was an opportunity to prevent thousands of lung cancer deaths, especially among former smokers. Two weeks after the issue was published, the federal Minister for Health announced an inquiry into the feasibility of a national lung cancer screening program.
These kinds of high-impact results are a win for authors, but also for the peer reviewers and editors who have spent countless hours sifting through the latest research to make PHRP what it is today. As Professor Nick Talley, Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Journal of Australia points out, it’s important for Australia to nurture a range of top-line journals that readers can turn to for the best in health research.
“PHRP is making a real contribution in this space,” he says. “The world of health publishing is going through great change as it becomes increasingly online, and while this presents challenges for all of us, it also opens up new opportunities for showcasing high-quality Australian research that can help inform the future of public health policy.”
So, with five years of high-impact research and a dedicated readership under its belt, what could the next five years hold for PHRP? The journal’s founding Editor, Anne Merkel, says the journal is poised to scale even greater heights. “With Editor Nyssa Skilton taking over the reins with gusto, and Editor-in-Chief Don Nutbeam providing guidance, I think PHRP continues to get better with every issue,” she says. “Success breeds success, meaning more top-notch authors and peer reviewers are giving their valuable time and support to the journal. This in turn leads to more readers and viewers – a virtuous circle that I hope continues for many years to come.”
Read the diverse range of research published by PHRP, join them on twitter, or sign up for the quarterly newsletter here.
Megan Howe December 11th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
The report provides an insight into the worsening effects of dangerous drinking for young Australians and for the first time has assessed the second-hand harm to teenagers.
Listen to the full story on SBS.
Megan Howe December 4th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
More than 70 per cent of young women who drink at risky levels report receiving unwanted sexual attention from their peers, while more than a third of young drinkers have witnessed serious violence.
In the largest survey of Australian adolescent regular drinkers to date, published in Public Health Research and Practice on Wednesday, researchers from seven universities spoke to 3465 people who identified themselves as risky drinkers, aged 14 to 19, about their experiences with other drinkers.
Read the full story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Megan Howe December 4th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
More than 70% of teenage girls who are risky drinkers report unwanted sexual attention from other drinkers – just one of a multitude of harms young people experience from ‘second-hand drinking’, according to new Australian research.
The study in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, sheds light on the compounding effects of risky drinking in young Australians, identifying for the first time a range of specific harms teenage consumers of alcohol experience at the hands of other drinkers.
The research – involving 3465 Australian teenagers who consume alcohol at risky levels for their age and gender – found girls and young women were at substantial risk of seven specific harms from others’ drinking, mostly concerning fear and harassment. These included receiving unwanted sexual attention (71% of female participants); being harassed in a public place (42%); being left alone in an unsafe situation (31%); and being placed in a state of fear (33%).
Boys and young men were at greater risk of three specific harms involving aggression: being pushed or shoved (42%); being yelled at or verbally abused (38%); and being physically hurt (17%). Over one-third of risky drinkers of both genders had witnessed serious violence in the previous year.
Compared with adolescents in the general population, teens who drink at risky levels are two to three times as likely to experience harms from other drinkers, according to the study authors led by Dr Tina Lam, a Research Fellow at the Monash Addiction Research Centre.
“Alcohol remains the greatest risk factor for death and injury in adolescents,” Dr Lam said. “We’ve been hearing more about the abstention trend, with some teens choosing not to drink at all. But one in five adolescents still drink at levels that put them at risk of injury, at least once a month. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to alcohol-related harms and have the highest rate of per capita alcohol-related emergency department presentations, compared with other age groups. And we don’t seem to be seeing any decline in those figures.”
The study is the largest survey of adolescent Australian risky drinkers to date and it identifies a range of harms experienced due to others’ drinking that have not previously been assessed elsewhere. The research is an Australian-wide collaboration between seven universities and one health department, led by Curtin University, Monash University and the University of New South Wales.
While alcohol research has traditionally focused on alcohol’s harmful effects on the drinkers themselves, this study reflects a growing interest in what is being labelled ‘second-hand drinking’, or alcohol’s harm to others. Each year, an estimated 162,400 adult Australians experience physical assault from people under the influence of alcohol, and 40% of interpersonal violent deaths are associated with alcohol consumption.
“Young risky drinkers’ problems are compounded by their own drinking, others’ drinking and their relative inexperience in both these arenas. In addition, intoxication may compromise their capacity to deal with threats,” the authors write.
“From the perspective of young people themselves, they may believe that if they drink too much and hurt themselves it is their choice, or that they can handle the consequences for themselves. However, evidence that lives other than theirs are affected may give them pause for thought.”
Another highlight in this latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice is a report on the marketing of junk food at community sports clubs in Australia. Observing 39 NSW regional clubs on match day at the club ground, the study authors found over one-quarter of the clubs featured fast food or sugary drink advertising, promotion or sponsorship.
The authors call for action to replace junk food sponsorships at community sports clubs and say such efforts could be a useful strategy for improving public health nutrition.
Other articles in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice find:
Click here to view the full contents of the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Hugo Wilcken, Media Manager, Sax Institute
M: 0451 122 146 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, Editor, Public Health Research & Practice
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe free of charge.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers
Megan Howe December 4th, 2019
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
MEDIA RELEASE: 30 October 2019
Two research teams responsible for a rural community project that helps children with speech problems and a paper analysing the renewal of Australia’s National Cervical Screening Program have been honoured in the 2019 Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards.
The awards celebrate outstanding papers that have been published in Public Health Research & Practice – an open-access, peer-reviewed, quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute.
This year’s Best Paper Award went to a team led by Dr Sue Kirby from the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at the University of NSW, for research on a speech pathology service-learning program for primary school children in Far West NSW. The research showed that speech pathology services delivered by undergraduate students led to reduced speech impairments for approximately one-quarter of the primary school children involved.
One of the paper’s authors, Ms Claire Brunero, said the program provided a unique rural learning experience for speech pathology undergraduates and also led to positive outcomes for the children. “Some children are starting compulsory education without the speech sounds and language they need to be able to access literacy,” she said. “This program is a way of targeting and building those skills for our pupils.”
The Award for Best ‘In Practice’ Paper – which specifically recognises work authored by frontline practitioners – was won by a team led by Dr Megan Smith at Cancer Council NSW, for their analysis of the renewal of Australia’s National Cervical Screening Program. Dr Smith said Australia’s transition from Pap tests to primary HPV screening in 2017 can provide valuable lessons for other countries.
“In our analysis of the renewal of Australia’s National Cervical Screening Program, we found that communication was critical, particularly for providers,” she said. “Another great opportunity that came out of the change was that some women can now do a screening test on a self-collected sample. A change like this has a lot of moving parts. If we can help make that road a bit smoother for other countries, that would be a great thing.”
Congratulating the winners, Editor-in-Chief of Public Health Research & Practice Professor Don Nutbeam said their work has made important contributions to improving public health.
“The winners of these awards, along with those who have been highly commended for their contribution to the journal, have produced important work that could lead to real improvements in health policy and practice,” he said. “This is an exciting achievement, and we look forward to seeing how these talented researchers will help shape Australia’s future public health landscape.”
The awards for Best Paper and Best ‘In Practice’ Paper celebrate excellence in public health research, practice and policy, and recognise the inspirational work taking place in Australia. The judging panel, comprising members of the Journal’s Editorial Board, judges papers for their potential impact on public health policy and practice, usefulness to policy makers, researchers and public health practitioners, rigour of methodology and quality of analysis and presentation.
WINNING AND HIGHLY COMMENDED PAPERS
Best Paper
Design and delivery of an innovative speech pathology service-learning program for primary school children in Far West NSW, Australia (27 September 2018)
Sue Kirby, David Lyle, Debra Jones, Claire Brunero, Alison Purcell, Pascale Dettwiller
Best ‘In Practice’ Paper
Lessons from the renewal of the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia (31 July 2019)
Megan Smith, Ian Hammond, Marion Saville
Highly commended – research papers
Obesity prevention in children and young people: what policy actions are needed? (6 March 2019)
William Bellew, Adrian Bauman, James Kite, Bridget Foley, Lindsey Reece, Margaret Thomas, Seema Mihrshahi, Lesley King
Increasing the use of research in population health policies and programs: a rapid review (27 September 2018)
Danielle M Campbell, Gabriel Moore
Highly commended – ‘In practice’ papers
Reflections on the NSW Healthy Children Initiative: a comprehensive state-delivered childhood obesity prevention initiative (6 March 2019)
Christine Innes-Hughes, Chris Rissel, Margaret Thomas, Luke Wolfenden
Built environment interventions for human and planetary health: integrating health in climate change adaptation and mitigation (6 December 2018)
Jason H Prior, Irena LC Connon, Erica McIntyre, Jon Adams, Anthony Capon, Jennifer Kent, Chris Rissel, Leena E Thomas, Susan M Thompson, Harriet Westcott
About the PHRP Excellence Awards
Launched in 2018, these awards celebrate the high calibre of articles published in Public Health Research & Practice – an open-access, peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. All papers considered for the 2019 awards have appeared in an issue of the Public Health Research & Practice journal published within the past year.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Hugo Wilcken, Media Manager, Sax Institute
M: 0451 122 146 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe October 30th, 2019
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Mention the ‘revolving door’ between politics and industry and the most recent examples of Julie Bishop and Christopher Pyne might spring to mind.
Both the former foreign minister and the former defence minister took up consultancy roles connected with their government portfolios after quitting politics at the last election.
But other senior politicians – together with a plethora of political advisers and ministerial staffers – have taken similar routes before them.
New research, from the Sax Institute journal, Public Health Research & Practice, reveals that the ‘revolving door’ between government and the alcohol, food and gambling industries has become a public health issue.
Listen to the interview with study author Professor Peter Miller on ABC Radio National’s Sunday Extra program.
Megan Howe October 15th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
The revolving door between roles in the Australian government and lobbyists for the alcohol, food and gambling industries poses a risk to public health, a new study claims.
A third of the people on the Australian government register of lobbyists stated they’d formerly been a government representative, with half of those whose careers were examined by the researchers working in government either as an MP or an adviser for more than 10 years before moving to lobbying.
Read the full story in the Canberra Times
Megan Howe October 2nd, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
The impacts of heavy drinking, gambling and unhealthy food are among the leading causes of preventable health harm in Australia. And for the most part, we know what to do to reduce them.
Most of us would hope the policies governments introduce are based n the best available evidence. However, our study published today suggests that may not be the case.
Read the full article on The Conversation
Megan Howe October 2nd, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
The revolving door between Australian government and the gambling, alcohol and food industries is threatening public health and undermining evidence-based policy, a new report has warned.
A study published on Wednesday analysed the backgrounds of 560 lobbyists listed on the federal lobbyist register, including 197 who declared they had previously worked within government.
Researchers were able to identify the background of 122 former government representatives, finding 18% were previously MPs or senators, and 47% were senior advisors or chiefs of staff. Almost 20% were previously media or communications advisers.
Read the full story at Guardian Australia
Megan Howe October 2nd, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
MEDIA RELEASE: 25 September 2019
The steady flow of politicians and government staffers switching sides to lobby for powerful food, alcohol and gambling companies poses a serious threat to public health, experts warn in new research published today.
The study in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, finds that of the 560 people on the Australian Government Register of Lobbyists, 197 stated that they had formerly been a government representative. The study authors report on several examples of people working at senior levels of government going on to work directly for alcohol, food or gambling industries, often in areas directly related to their previous government role.
This so-called ‘revolving door’ between government and the food, alcohol and gambling industries favours industry interests by enhancing insider knowledge and providing access to policy makers through personal ties, the authors say.
“Industry’s privileged access to government threatens unbiased policy making and creates an imbalance between the influence of industry and evidence-based public health advocacy,” they write.
They point to continued delays in implementing alcohol warning labels and the lack of gambling reform despite strong public support as two areas where industry influence has undermined evidence-based public health policy.
“We urgently need a rethink on how we regulate this, and on how long former government officials should have to wait before moving on to lobbying roles,” said senior author Professor Peter Miller of the School of Psychology at Deakin University.
The study authors examined LinkedIn and lobbyist business websites to identify the previous roles in which the former government representatives worked. Of the 122 individuals whose job history was identified, most had held influential positions: 18% had been a Member of Parliament or Senator and 47% had been a Senior Advisor or Chief of Staff. The majority had spent more than 10 years in government prior to their roles as lobbyists.
A series of interviews was conducted with former and current politicians, staffers, journalists, public health advocates and a lobbyist about the influence of the alcohol, food and gambling industries on government policy.
“You see former politicians popping up in these lobbying organisations, and the only reason they’re employed is because they can wield influence,” explained one former politician who was interviewed in the study.
The study authors call for tighter and more robustly enforced regulations around “cooling-off periods” between government employment and lobbying roles. They note that although rules prevent federal ministers and parliamentary secretaries from lobbying in related areas for 18 months, these rules are poorly enforced. Other countries, they add, have considerably longer cooling-off periods, with both the United States and Canada adopting a five-year ban on administration officials.
The authors also call for bans on information-sharing by former government officials and a federal anti-corruption body to provide oversight and transparency.
The study is part of a special themed issue of Public Health Research & Practice on countering the so-called ‘commercial determinants of health’ – the web of marketing ploys and other approaches used by large companies to promote products and behaviours that harm human health. The issue has been led by Dr Becky Freeman, Senior Lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, and Mr Colin Sindall, who was the inaugural Chief Preventive Health Officer for the Victorian Government.
Another highlight of this issue is an interview with Verity Firth, former Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly and Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, who reveals how politicians face intense lobbying from industry and corporate interests over public health reforms such as tobacco control. She offers insider tips on how public health advocates can best get their voices heard, and suggests “boutique portfolios” in government focused on specific public health issues (e.g cancer) gives politicians a stronger platform to push for health reforms.
Other articles in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice find:
In an Editorial, Dr Freeman and Mr Sindall write: “Commerce and industry, from small business to large corporations, generate wealth, drive technological innovation, and provide products and services that the community values. However, when the regulation of commercial practices is weak – particularly in the case of large corporations – chasing profits can trump public welfare.”
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Hugo Wilcken, Media Manager, Sax Institute
M: 0451 122 146 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, Editor, Public Health Research & Practice
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe free of charge.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers
Megan Howe September 25th, 2019
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Australia’s cancer screening programs have successfully reduced the burden of cancer on our community but it is important that we continue to question their role and evaluate their performance.
Read Croakey’s article on the key findings from the PHRP Cancer Screening issue.
Megan Howe September 3rd, 2019
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
Screening for lung cancer has long been seen as too expensive and sometimes too unreliable. But with the disease now recognised as the deadliest type of cancer in Australia, experts are urging a lifesaving rethink on how to detect it early.
Listen to the report on the PHRP paper on SBS World News Radio
Megan Howe August 13th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
Lung cancer is the most lethal of all cancers. But despite killing 9,000 Australians each year, there’s no national screening program like those available for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.
It’s largely because until now, there hasn’t been a body of evidence on the screening’s cost effectiveness.
However, a paper published today says the evidence is strengthening for national screening for people at high risk of lung cancer, and it could save thousands of lives.
Listen to the interview with paper co-author Professor Kwun Fong on ABC RN Breakfast.
Megan Howe August 13th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
Screening people at high risk for lung cancer – still Australia’s single biggest cancer killer – has the potential to save thousands of lives especially among former smokers, according to a new paper on the future of cancer screening in Australia.
Currently, only breast, bowel and cervical cancers are the subject of national cancer screening programs in Australia, and no country has nationwide screening for lung cancer. Although it is estimated lung cancer will kill more than 9,000 Australians this year – 60% more than bowel cancer, the second-biggest cause of cancer deaths – an Australian Government committee recommended in 2015 against lung cancer screening, calling for clearer local evidence on effectiveness, cost and feasibility.
But the new paper, in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, published today by the Sax Institute, says the evidence of screening’s effectiveness is now strengthening – including national research using low-dose computed tomography (CT), which so far appears to be in line with previous research from the US and the Netherlands that found this screening technique could cut lung cancer deaths by at least 20%.
The new paper, by experts from Cancer Council NSW, University of Queensland and University of London, appears in a themed issue of PHRP that provides several expert perspectives on the future of screening programs for different types of cancer in Australia, including melanoma, prostate cancer and liver cancer.
The lung cancer paper says despite Australia’s many successes in tobacco control, lung cancer will remain a major health burden for many decades and the growing evidence to support screening warrants attention. Australian and Canadian researchers are now testing a statistical tool designed to identify high-risk people who would benefit from screening, as well as a method for telling which lung nodules picked up through screening are likely to be malignant.
“Overall, lung cancer screening is an opportunity to prevent thousands of lung cancer deaths, especially for former smokers who make up an increasing proportion of lung cancer cases,” the authors write.
Guest Editor of the themed issue Professor Karen Canfell, chair of Cancer Council Australia’s Screening and Immunisation Committee, says future expansions and improvements to screening programs are likely to be achieved through research targeted at specific, high-risk populations.
“Lung cancer is a good example,” Professor Canfell says. “It is a major health problem, it can be found early and it can be treated successfully. But we don’t yet know how to do this in an organised way.
“We need to identify the most appropriate group of people to screen, to maximise benefit and minimise the risk that looking for cancers in people without symptoms will find a lot of other things that cause unnecessary treatments and anxiety.
“But targeted research is helping us to answer these questions and should lead to more cost-effective, systematic ways to finding lung cancer early in people at increased risk.”
Melanoma is another promising candidate for screening. Melanoma accounts for 10% of all invasive cancer diagnoses in Australia each year and the costs for treating it are growing exponentially, note the authors of the perspective on this topic. Ad-hoc screening currently occurs when people visit their doctor and either ask for a skin check or the doctor proposes one to high-risk patients. But shifting to a national, risk-stratified program “may be a promising way forward to reduce the heavy burden” of melanoma, the authors write.
This themed issue of PHRP was supported by and developed in partnership with Cancer Institute NSW and Cancer Council Australia. Guest Editors are Professor Karen Canfell, Cancer Council NSW Director, Cancer Research; Professor David Roder, Chair of Cancer Epidemiology and Population Health School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia; and Paul Grogan, Cancer Council NSW Senior Strategic Adviser, Cancer Research.
Another highlight of this issue is the first comprehensive review of the benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness of cancer screening in Australia, authored by Professor Canfell and colleagues. This review finds that the three current population screening programs for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer are all cost-effective. The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is particularly good value for money, with the analysis showing it costs just $3380 for each year of life saved.
In the Editorial, authors Professor David Currow, CEO of Cancer Institute NSW, and Professor Sanchia Aranda, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, write: “The overall theme of this issue is that for the benefits of screening to be maximised, we must be prepared to engage in ongoing analysis of program effectiveness, and be open to considering program changes to balance benefits, harms and costs. To do this well, we must invest in linked datasets that enable more complex understandings of the varying impacts of early diagnosis and improvements in treatment on mortality and survival across our community.”
Other articles in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice find:
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Nyssa Skilton, Editor, Public Health Research & Practice
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Megan Howe, Deputy Editor, Public Health Research & Practice
M: 0404 466 526 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe free of charge.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe July 31st, 2019
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
What is the best way to keep young kids physically active at home? In good news for parents with limited outside space, new Australian research shows that it’s not necessarily the size of your backyard that matters. Rather, it’s fixed equipment – things like cubby houses, trampolines or even something as simple as a sandpit – that makes all the difference.
The study in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, looked at home-based outdoor play in nearly 1600 preschool children on days when they were not in childcare. Researchers from The University of Western Australia clocked the time the children spent playing outdoors against a number of factors, including backyard size, outdoor features (grassed or paved areas, trees, gardens), fixed play equipment (climbing structures, playhouses, sandboxes, swings, trampolines) and portable play items (balls, frisbees, scooters, etc.).
When not in childcare, children spent a little over an hour a day playing in their backyard. But the only factor clearly associated with increased playtime outside was the number of fixed play structures in the backyard. Each additional piece of equipment added an average of 5 minutes to a child’s daily playtime, the researchers found.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to comprehensively measure outdoor playtime in the home environment,” says the study’s senior author Associate Professor Hayley Christian, who is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia’s School of Population and Global Health and Telethon Kids Institute.
“The home yard space is crucial for providing opportunity for preschool kids to be active, as they are so dependent on their parents and don’t have the independent mobility to get out and about on their own. We’ve found that within the yard space, having play equipment can make a big difference to the amount of activity they do each day.”
The Australian government recommends that preschoolers spend at least three hours a day being physically active, but this is only achieved by around a third of children, the study authors note. One in five Australian preschoolers are now considered overweight or obese.
“Backyard play is a much better option than screen time, considering all of the health and developmental benefits children get by playing outdoors and being physically active” Dr Christian says.
“As parents we may not have time to take our kids to the park each day, but they don’t need to be in the house on a device. Why not allow them out in the yard and let them go!”
The researchers say their findings also have implications for policy around high-density housing, where homes may have limited or no outside private space. The inclusion of accessible preschooler-friendly space and equipment for play as part of all new high-density developments is an important consideration.
The research on preschoolers’ outdoor play is one of a number of papers dealing with childhood health and obesity in a special themed issue of Public Health Research & Practice, overseen by Co-Guest Editors Dr Jo Mitchell, Executive Director of the Centre for Population Health at the NSW Ministry of Health, and Professor Louise Baur AM, Head of Child and Adolescent Health at the Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney.
Other papers in this issue include two which take differing views on the Health Star Rating System – the voluntary front-of-pack information panels that attempt to summarise the nutritional value of packaged foods. One of these articles, led by Professor Mark Lawrence of the Faculty of Health at Deakin University, argues that the system misrepresents nutrition science, contradicts Australian Dietary Guidelines and promotes foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
The other paper takes a different view, arguing that Australians are changing their long-term behaviour and making healthier choices at the supermarket, thanks to the Health Star Rating system.
Other articles in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice find:
Allowing a child an extra one or two sweet biscuits a day – equivalent to 200–300 kilojoules – is enough to put them on a path to being overweight, say the Guest Editors in their editorial where they argue for a society-wide response to improve what is so far a “fragmented, narrow and underpowered” approach in Australia.
“We need to put into action what we already know and deliver successful interventions at scale, over time. We need to find new systemic solutions. And we need to be in this for the long haul,” they write.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Adam Cresswell, Communications Director, Sax Institute
M: 0402 297 674 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, Editor, Public Health Research & Practice
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Heamailto:[email protected] Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe free of charge.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe March 6th, 2019
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Australia’s Health Star Rating system – a voluntary front-of-pack labelling scheme that rates the nutritional value of packaged food – is doing the opposite of what was intended and is promoting food high in fat, salt and sugar, according to one of two contrasting papers in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice.
The paper, published today by the Sax Institute, claims the Health Star Rating (HSR) system is guided by an outdated view of nutrition science that contradicts some of the recommendations in the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
“Our work has shown that the Health Star Rating system is promoting both ultra-processed and discretionary foods. It’s not deliberately doing that and its intentions are good, but that’s the outcome, because it’s looking at nutrients in isolation rather than taking a holistic approach to diet,” says co-author Dr Helen Vidgen, Senior Lecturer at the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Queensland University of Technology.
By contrast, the second article, whose authors include experts involved in designing the scheme, defends its approach and claims that the system provides readily understandable information that helps consumers make healthier choices.
The debate is highly topical given the recent publication of the report of the five-year review of the HSR scheme, commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health. While finding the scheme was well used and should continue, the review report – which is open for consultation until 25 March 2019 – also identified a number of “opportunities for improvement”, including changes that would reduce the number of stars given to unhealthy discretionary or ‘treat’ foods.
In the second article, the authors, who include the chair of the HSR Advisory Committee and the chair of the HSR Technical Advisory Group, say the most recent assessment of consumer awareness and use of the system found it was well recognised, with 84% of respondents aware of it, and 76% saying it was easy to use and understand. Two-thirds (67%) said the system had influenced their purchasing decisions.
The authors wrote that published evidence was now emerging to back reports of food companies reducing sugar, fat and/or salt in their products, and increasing fibre, as a means of earning ratings with more stars – and that product reformulation was more common among products participating in the HSR scheme.
“The available evidence suggests that people are using the system to influence product choice at point of purchase and are changing their long-term purchasing behaviour,” the authors write.
”The experience of the HSR system… has demonstrated that when disparate stakeholders are included in the process and encouraged to engage ‘in good faith’, a workable and acceptable system that achieves tangible outcomes can be implemented.”
In the paper taking a more critical view of the scheme, Dr Vidgen says by suggesting that some ultra-processed and discretionary foods (such as biscuits or confectionery) might be “healthier” than others, the HSR blinds Australians to the fact that they already consume far too much of them.
“The system is encouraging companies to change their recipes so their products can get more stars. For example, companies can add fibre extracts or protein powders that have negligible or no public health benefit at all, but they get bonus points in the Health Star Rating system. In its present form, it’s a bit of a gift for the marketing of many ultra-processed and discretionary foods.”
Dr Vidgen says she and her colleagues want the system to work, and they suggest reforms in their paper that could improve it. But she says the system has in itself become a distraction from the far more important need to have a national nutrition policy.
The two articles on the Health Star Rating system are among a number of papers dealing with childhood health and obesity in a special themed issue of Public Health Research & Practice, overseen by Co-Guest Editors Dr Jo Mitchell, Executive Director of the Centre for Population Health at the NSW Ministry of Health, and Professor Louise Baur AM, Head of Child and Adolescent Health at the Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney.
Other articles in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice find:
Allowing a child an extra one or two sweet biscuits a day – equivalent to 200–300 kilojoules – is enough to put them on a path to being overweight, say the Guest Editors in their editorial where they argue for a society-wide response to improve what is so far a “fragmented, narrow and underpowered” approach to childhood obesity in Australia.
“We need to put into action what we already know and deliver successful interventions at scale, over time. We need to find new systemic solutions. And we need to be in this for the long haul,” they write.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Adam Cresswell, Communications Director, Sax Institute
M: 0402 297 674 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, Editor, Public Health Research & Practice
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe free of charge.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe March 6th, 2019
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Families do not need large gardens to ensure preschoolers get enough outdoor play at home. A sandpit, swing or cubby house is enough, according to a study of 1600 Perth preschoolers. Researchers at University of WA’s School of Population and Global Health and Telethon Kids Institute examined how children spent their home time outdoors.
“This is the first time we have been able to measure outdoor playtime in the home environment,” Professor Hayley Christian, senior research fellow at UWA’s School of Population and Global Health, said.
Read the full story on thewest.com.au
Megan Howe March 5th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
There is ongoing concern that certain mental health services are struggling to survive after their funding was shifted to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, despite being designed to serve a wider group than the 64,000 people with psychosocial disabilities thought to be eligible.
A recent case study produced by Canberra’s Woden Community Service shows the issue is far from resolved after years of discussion, debate, analysis and official advice. The article, published by the Sax Institute’s online journal, argues non-clinical mental health services sit awkwardly within the NDIS, due to their focus on recovery and rehabilitation, and have a bleak future if nothing changes.
Read the full story on themandarin.com.au
Megan Howe February 26th, 2019
Posted In: PHRP in the news
Australia’s psychosocial support services are facing significant challenges thanks to funding changes brought in with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), says a senior mental health researcher.
In a new paper in Public Health & Research Practice, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Sax Institute, Dr Sebastian Rosenberg and colleagues say the NDIS is having serious repercussions on Australia’s fragile psychosocial service sector, which covers non-clinical support for people recovering from mental illness.
The paper, a case study looking at the impact of the NDIS on a mental health rehabilitation service in the ACT, suggests that NDIS funding arrangements are reducing the service’s capacity to transition clients towards recovery and increasing the likelihood of relapse.
“Psychosocial services are critical to allowing people with mental illness to live well and with dignity in the community. The arrival of the NDIS should in theory wash significantly more resources into this sector, but paradoxically it is having the reverse effect,” says lead author Dr Rosenberg, who is a Senior Lecturer at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, and a Research Fellow at the ANU’s Centre for Mental Health Research.
Dr Rosenberg says the key problem is that instead of providing mental health organisations with a block grant, which would allow them to offer longer-term contracts to skilled support workers, the NDIS funnels money directly to the clients themselves.
“This means organisations are now reliant on the recipients of NDIS support packages coming to them to seek services. And that is not a sufficiently stable financial basis on which to retain a workforce.”
Dr Rosenberg says the psychosocial support sector – which provides services to help people with mental health issues manage their daily lives, find accommodation and prepare for employment – was already underfunded before the advent of the NDIS.
“It was probably no more than 7% of total mental health spending. So you’re already talking about a very fragile sector, which now has this done to it. It was stunted before, and now it’s in crisis.”
He says an additional problem is that only a very small number of people with mental illness actually qualify for an NDIS package of care.
“The vast majority of people with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia will not qualify for the NDIS. What happens to them? Where do they go? Many of them will be in and out of hospital for acute and sub-acute care, which is expensive, dangerous and traumatic.”
Dr Rosenberg says there are ongoing discussions between the mental health sector and the NDIS about how to make things better, but they are happening very slowly.
“In the meantime, this very fragile workforce is disintegrating. There is very little focus on service providers except where market failure applies. I’d suggest that’s where we’re heading. We may be in a situation where the government will have to disburse emergency funds to providers.”
Dr Rosenberg says the questions driving funding models have been about who pays and not what works.
“We don’t have patient-centred care, we have funder-centred care.”
Dr Rosenberg points to what’s happening across the Tasman as a good model of what we could do here.
“In New Zealand, spending on psychosocial support services is about three times what it was here at its apex. New Zealanders have community-based inpatient centres and a whole range of alternative services to admission to hospital. That’s what we badly need here.”
Click here to access the article referred to in this story.
Megan Howe February 7th, 2019
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
A growing body of international research is connecting climate change to higher concentrations of allergenic pollen, but the lack of research in Australia has Associate Professor Paul Beggs worried. In a review published in Public Health Research & Practice this week, Professor Beggs presented research from around the globe linking climate change to an increased risk of allergic reactions.
Read the full story on medicalrepublic.com.au
Megan Howe December 8th, 2018
Posted In: PHRP in the news
A rise in dangerous and even fatal asthma and other allergic attacks – as occurred in Melbourne’s deadly 2016 ‘thunderstorm asthma event’ – could be one of Australia’s biggest health challenges from climate change, warns the author of a major new review of international evidence.
The review in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, looks at studies since 2000 relating to climate change, allergens and allergy. It includes recent research from Europe and North America that finds higher temperatures and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will significantly boost levels of allergens in the air such as grass pollen. At the same time, the pollen season is changing, starting earlier and going on for longer. Again, the result is substantially more pollen in the air.
However, the review’s author, Associate Professor Paul Beggs, from Macquarie University’s Department of Environmental Sciences, Sydney, found that almost all the research about climate change’s effects on allergies is from overseas, and Australian-focused research “is therefore urgently needed”.
Associate Professor Beggs also found that Australia’s systems for monitoring, reporting and forecasting atmospheric concentrations of allergens such as pollen were not fit for purpose.
The review notes that allergic illness is “already a very significant public health issue in Australia”. Asthma prevalence in Australia is among the highest in the world, with some estimates suggesting one child in five has wheeze symptoms and one in 13 has asthma.
In November 2016, Melbourne experienced “the world’s largest, most catastrophic epidemic thunderstorm asthma event” that caused thousands of emergency department presentations, hundreds of asthma-related hospital admissions and 10 deaths. The odds of such extreme weather events are greatly increased with climate change, the review finds.
Evidence shows that higher temperatures can also lead to increased production of fungal spores, another trigger for many susceptible people, as well as boosting indoor moisture and mould growth, which can cause allergic reactions.
“It could be argued that these impacts pose a serious climate change-human health risk to Australia and that they should therefore be among Australia’s climate change-human health priorities,” Associate Professor Beggs says.
But Australia’s research efforts in this area have been woefully inadequate, and much of the international research has been done in climates unlike our own, involving allergens that are not common here.
Our allergen monitoring is equally poor, Associate Professor Beggs says, with no national, state or territory body having responsibility for the monitoring, reporting and forecasting of environmental allergens.
What monitoring exists is sparse and sporadic. For example, in Melbourne, scene of the deadly thunderstorm asthma event, allergen monitoring only occurs for three months of the year. Elsewhere in Australia, monitoring remains precarious, with all sites either unfunded or subsisting on short-term funding.
This review of climate change and allergy is one of a number of papers dealing with health and climate change in a special themed issue of Public Health Research & Practice, overseen by co-Guest Editors Anthony Capon, the inaugural Professor of Planetary Health at the University of Sydney, and Dr Carlos Corvalan, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney.
Other research in this issue includes a paper on extreme events in the context of climate change, authored by Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Professor Andy Pitman from the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. Building resilience to events such as heatwaves and drought is the best safeguard against threats to our health resulting from climate change, they argue.
Another article on built environment interventions argues that landscapers, architects, urban planners and designers play a critical role in addressing the health impacts of climate change.
“Built environment interventions must move beyond simple ecological sustainability to encouraging ways of life that are healthy for both humans and the planet,” write Associate Professor Jason Prior of the University of Technology Sydney and colleagues.
Dr Colin Tukuitonga, who has served as Pacific Community Director-General since 2014, is interviewed by Public Health Research & Practice Editor-in-Chief Professor Don Nutbeam on the health risks from climate change to Pacific Island countries. Financial assistance from countries like Australia and New Zealand is critical to helping these countries build resilience, he says.
“These papers and current evidence point to the urgent need for stronger action on climate change to protect the health and wellbeing of current and future generations,” write Professor Capon and Dr Corvalan in the issue’s editorial.
For access to the full contents of the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, please contact the Sax Institute’s media manager (details below).
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Hugo Wilcken, Media Manager, Sax Institute
M: 0451 122 146 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe for free.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers. The link to the published climate change and allergy article is: https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp2841828.
Megan Howe December 6th, 2018
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Asbestos is a word that strikes fear in the general public – and rightly so, as its use in mining and construction has led to thousands of deaths from lung disease and counts as one of the great public health disasters of the modern era.
Not so many people know that asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally in the environment, in rocks and soil, where it carries a tiny fraction of the health risk compared with its industrial use. Over the past couple of years, the NSW government has been releasing maps which identify areas where people are most likely to come across naturally occurring asbestos. As these maps are released, the public will become increasingly aware of its existence, which may cause concern and anxiety.
What is the best way of communicating about health issues such as naturally occurring asbestos, where the health risks are minimal, but there is high potential for public anxiety? This is the subject of a fascinating research paper that has just been named Best ‘In Practice’ Paper in the Sax Institute’s inaugural Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards.
Lead author Dr Claire Hooker, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, says government and health authorities often make communication missteps which actually heighten unwarranted anxiety.
“When they encounter a person whose response seems disproportionate to the absolute level of risk, they often feel that the person can’t be trusted with the relevant information and so they won’t disclose it. That makes everything worse. The person will feel less in control, will have less trust and their reactions will be even stronger,” Dr Hooker says.
The critical message, she says, is that if you want to do anything effectively, you have to build trust. And there is no way you can spin your way into gaining trust: you actually have to be transparent and responsive to concerns, and not brush them off, even if you think the concerns are unwarranted.
“It’s no good listening to concerns if you then dismiss them. That’s a fast way to lose trust,” Dr Hooker says.
She points to anti-vaccination campaigners as a useful comparison.
“Government and health authorities are often frightened by what will happen if more people distrust vaccines and stop vaccinating their children. A common reaction is simply to tell people that they’re wrong and they’re being irresponsible. And that just makes the campaigners dig in harder.”
The award-winning paper outlines the key strategies needed to communicate with the public about naturally occurring asbestos. It’s important to accept and address public concerns; engage early and frequently; tolerate early overreactions; and admit uncertainty where it exists, the authors say.
The paper advocates using the so-called ‘rule of threes’ in media communication: developing three key messages, which are repeated three times, each supported by three additional messages from three credible sources. A credible source, in this case, might be someone who is already a high-profile anti-asbestos advocate, or who is a trusted, independent public figure.
The ‘rule of threes’ provides scaffolding that helps audiences retain messages when conditions of stress and anxiety reduce their normal capacity for information processing, the researchers say.
“Someone who has seen a family member die of an asbestos-related disease is not going to listen very well,” says Dr Hooker. “There is no point in simply telling them they are wrong. It’s so counterproductive.”
The Sax Institute has established the Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards to celebrate the high calibre of articles published in the Institute’s peer-reviewed journal. We promote excellence in public health research, practice and policy, and recognise the inspirational work taking place in Australia and internationally.
More information about the Awards and winning papers here. Read the paper referenced in the above story here.
Megan Howe November 12th, 2018
Posted In: PHRP in the news
The urgent need to close the gap across a range of health markers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can sometimes obscure the real progress already being made in specific areas. This is the case with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking rates, argue the authors of a research paper that has just been named Best Paper in the Sax Institute’s inaugural Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards.
The award-winning authors, led by Associate Professor Ray Lovett of the Australian National University, tracked absolute change in the rate of daily smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults from 2004 to 2015. What they found was a decrease of around 9 percentage points in smoking rates over the period, corresponding to 35,000 fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoking daily. Thousands of premature deaths will have been avoided, thanks to this reduction in smoking rates.
But this success story is obscured by a focus on comparing the high smoking rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the lower rates in the general population, says Associate Professor Lovett, who is a Wongaibon man from far west New South Wales.
“If we only focus on the relative rates of smoking, which is often what’s documented in the National Health Performance Framework or Close The Gap reports, then it looks like there’s no change, because there’s a large gap that hasn’t changed much in the past ten years. But if we report that, we lose the context that there is still a decline of 9 percentage points in smoking in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. In anyone’s book, that’s success.”
Associate Professor Lovett says there are reasons from a health policy perspective why absolute rather than just relative rates should be publicised.
“It’s really important to report on this progress, because it makes people feel positive about the issue and it increases interest in how to promote healthy behaviours.”
Although the study wasn’t designed to assess the causes of the decline, Associate Professor Lovett points out that the tipping point roughly coincides with the roll out of a national tobacco control program specifically targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
“We can’t say definitively that’s what’s causing the decline, but you’d have to say the program has played a part in that.”
The research shows that the decline has not been even across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Among older people and those in remote areas in particular, smoking rates have not fallen significantly.
“In very remote areas, you’re starting from a much higher base, with smoking rates of 60% or greater. That means smoking is completely normalised, so it takes a bit longer to de-normalise it. Where we’ve seen the greatest absolute change is in urban areas, where the base rates are much lower.”
Associate Professor Lovett says the way forward is a more comprehensive roll out of the tobacco control program, which currently only covers half the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
He says regional control in smoking cessation programs is important, allowing people on the ground to determine what kinds of health promotion, support and education are needed for local populations.
“In remote areas smoking can be seen as a sensitive issue, so if you have local, tailored services that are provided by people from those areas, then you get a better buy-in from local communities.”
The Sax Institute has established the Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards to celebrate the high calibre of articles published in the Institute’s peer-reviewed journal. We promote excellence in public health research, practice and policy, and recognise the inspirational work taking place in Australia and internationally.
More information about the Awards and winning papers here. Read the paper referenced in the above story here.
Megan Howe November 8th, 2018
Posted In: PHRP in the news
Mixing alcohol and energy drinks can disrupt your heart, disturb sleep and bring on anxiety – yet despite the health risks, a lot of Australians are doing it.
About 40 percent of drinkers consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks in the past year, per a study published in the Sax Institute journal Public Health Research & Practice.
Those who combine alcohol and energy drinks – aka formulated caffeinated beverages – are more likely to be young, male, and more likely to report drinking heavily and risky substance abuse.
Read the full story on nine.com.au
Megan Howe November 8th, 2018
Posted In: PHRP in the news
Research that is likely to have a real impact on health policy and practice is being celebrated in the inaugural Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards.
“I’m delighted to present these awards, which recognise scientific excellence combined with real-world impact in papers published in our journal,” said Professor Don Nutbeam, Editor-in-Chief of Public Health Research & Practice, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Sax Institute.
“The winners of these awards, along with those who have been highly commended for their contribution to the journal, have made important, original contributions to our understanding of public health.”
Dr Martin McNamara, Deputy CEO of the Sax Institute, said the instigation of the Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards underscored the Institute’s commitment to encouraging and disseminating public health research that yielded tangible improvements in health policy and practice.
“The Sax Institute is pleased to honour the work of talented researchers whose work will help shape Australia’s future public health landscape,” he said.
The journal is presenting an award for Best Paper, and another for the Best ‘In Practice’ Paper, which specifically recognises work authored by frontline practitioners. Both papers are assessed on rigour of methodology, quality of analysis and effectiveness in writing, structure and presentation. The judging panel for these awards comprises members of the Journal’s Editorial Board.
The winner of the Best Paper Award is a team led by Associate Professor Ray Lovett from the Australian National University. The team’s paper tracks absolute change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking rates from 2004 to 2015. By taking this approach rather than expressing Indigenous smoking trends as they compare to the decline in overall smoking, as has occurred with much existing research, the authors have revealed the significant progress being made in this important area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
The researchers found smoking prevalence was down considerably over the period, from 50% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in 2004 to just over 40% in 2015. That means many thousands of premature deaths are being avoided thanks to this reduction.
Associate Professor Lovett, who is a Wongaibon man from far west New South Wales, said it was important to report on absolute changes in smoking rates, rather than changes relative to the general population.
“A lot of research looks at the disparity between smoking rates in the general population and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s a substantial gap that has not changed much in the past 10 years. But if we report that, it sounds like nothing’s changed, when in fact there has been a 9% decline in absolute rates. From a policy perspective, it’s really important to report on this progress, because it makes people feel positive about the issue and it increases interest in how to promote healthy behaviours.”
The winner of the Best ‘In Practice’ Paper Award is a team from the University of Sydney and NSW Health, for their paper on communicating with the public about naturally occurring asbestos.
Asbestos is a known health hazard and employers and public health organisations rightly go to great lengths to minimise human exposure, particularly in the mining and construction contexts. But asbestos also occurs naturally in the environment, such as in rocks and soils, where it carries only a fraction of the risk – yet can still cause disproportionate public concern.
“Simply telling people they’re wrong to worry never works in health communications,” the paper’s lead author Dr Claire Hooker said.
“The key message is that you need to build trust, and the best way to do this is through transparency. The comparison with anti-vaccination advocates is very useful. It’s a common reaction to tell them they’re wrong and irresponsible, but that just makes them dig in. You must be transparent and give information to people, even if you don’t necessarily trust their response.”
Best Paper
Deadly progress: changes in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult daily smoking, 2004–2015 (7 December 2017)
Raymond Lovett, Katherine Thurber, Alyson Wright, Raglan Maddox, Emily Banks
Best ‘In Practice’ Paper
Communicating with the public about the risks of naturally occurring asbestos (7 December 2017)
Claire Hooker, Adam Capon, Isabel Hess
Highly commended – research papers
Evaluation of ‘Stop Smoking in its Tracks’: an intensive smoking cessation program for pregnant Aboriginal women incorporating contingency-based financial rewards
Megan Passey, Janelle Stirling
Support for food policy initiatives is associated with knowledge of obesity-related cancer risk factors
Wendy Watson, Marianne Weber, Clare Hughes, Lyndal Wellard, Kathryn Chapman
Highly commended – ‘In practice’ papers
Intergovernmental collaboration for the health and wellbeing of refugees settling in Australia
Belinda Martin, Paul Douglas
The Aboriginal Population Health Training Initiative: a NSW Health program established to strengthen the Aboriginal public health workforce
Ben Li, Aaron Cashmore, Dawn Arneman, Wendy Bryan-Clothier, Lisa McCallum, Andrew Milat
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Hugo Wilcken, Media Manager, Sax Institute
M: 0451 122 146 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe for free.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe November 7th, 2018
Posted In: Media Releases
Many thousands of young Australians are mixing alcohol with caffeine-laden energy drinks with little regard for the potential dangers, according to newly published research.
Around 40% of young current drinkers reported drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) in the previous year, despite evidence this can cause arrhythmias, anxiety and a range of other health problems. Data from two surveys involving over 3200 adults in NSW found one in six adult drinkers surveyed in entertainment districts around the state said they had consumed AmED in the previous 12 hours.
The study in the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, found that AmED consumers were generally younger, more likely to be male and more likely to be a student than non-consumers. They were also more likely to drink heavily and to report risky substance abuse issues.
The majority of drinkers surveyed exceeded the recommended daily intake of two standard 250ml energy drinks, as specified by current Australian guidelines for formulated caffeinated beverages.
Lead author Dr Amy Pennay, a research fellow at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University, said AmED consumption has been associated with a number of harms.
“Emergency departments have seen a rise in the number of AmED-related presentations over the past decade,” she said.
“Consumers can experience a range of side effects, including heart palpitations, tremors, insomnia, visual disturbances or nausea. The stimulation from energy drinks can also counteract the sedative effects of alcohol, encouraging heavier and more risky drinking.”
She added that very little effort has been put into raising awareness of Australian energy drink guidelines or helping drinkers to follow them.
“Policy makers should think about prohibiting servings of energy drinks that are larger than a standard serving, so consumers know how much caffeine they are consuming. We should also ensure information about these recommendations are widely disseminated, including in licensed venues.”
Most energy drinks contain at least as much caffeine as an espresso shot, as well as large amounts of sugar or sweetener.
The study authors write that AmED consumption may be a useful indicator of risky substance abuse, and that asking about it could help health professionals identify potentially problematic alcohol or substance use in their patients.
Alcohol mixed with energy drinks were first introduced into the Australian market around 20 years ago, but only three studies to date have attempted to estimate consumption rates in Australia.
Another paper in this edition of the Journal showcases an innovative means of improving access to healthcare in rural Australia. Dr Sue Kirby of the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at UNSW and colleagues report on a successful speech pathology program for primary school children in Broken Hill, Western NSW, that uses tertiary speech pathology students on rural clinical placement.
The program “has the potential to revolutionise undergraduate learning placements, as well as address the chronic health professional shortage in rural Australia”, the authors write.
The issue of technology projects in healthcare is addressed in another paper by Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, who has studied failed public sector projects and identified five key barriers to success.
To improve the odds of a good outcome, “seek to understand where the complexities lie, reduce those complexities where possible, and manage the remaining complexities adaptively and creatively”, she writes.
Click here to view the full contents of the latest issue of Public Health Research & Practice.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Hugo Wilcken, Media Manager, Sax Institute
M: 0451 122 146 E: [email protected]
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected]
Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Click here to subscribe for free.
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers. The link to the published alcohol mixed with energy drinks article is: https://www.phrp.com.au/?p=37739
Megan Howe September 27th, 2018
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Vaccination programs in schools to maximise the numbers of pupils protected against dangerous diseases could be strengthened by allowing consent to be lodged online instead of through paper forms, and by ensuring schools do a better job of coordinating the immunisations.
A paper in the latest edition of Public Health Research & Practice, published today by the Sax Institute, finds a number of parents surveyed anonymously after a catch-up measles vaccination program in NSW in 2014 and 2015 identified online consent processes as one way to streamline immunisation efforts.
In addition, over half of parents (54%) said they had trouble finding their children’s vaccination records, and some parents revealed their children did not end up being vaccinated against measles because they either were not told by the school that the vaccinations were under way, or did not hear the announcement.
The paper, led by Sonya Nicholl of the NSW Health Immunisation Unit, says suggestions from parents to improve the scheme represented “new ideas to further improve delivery of school-based vaccination programs”, even though the survey’s size and response rate meant the responses themselves could not be generalised directly.
Measles has been a regular source of concern for health authorities in Australia, despite it being considered eliminated in 2014. NSW Health issued an alert in March 2018 for people to be vigilant for symptoms of measles after a fifth diagnosed case , and the disease’s high degree of contagiousness means sporadic outbreaks remain a semi-regular event. Experts believe a vaccination rate of 95% is required with measles to ensure the population, including babies too young to be immunised themselves, remains protected.
The paper’s authors said while the survey found high parent satisfaction with the immunisation scheme, the findings suggested future supplementary vaccination programs should be more closely tailored to the target groups to ensure high vaccination rates were maintained.
Another paper in this edition of the journal, by Anne Tiedemann and her colleagues, proposes a novel approach to improving flexibility and mobility among older Australians by advocating yoga as part of a falls prevention program. Her study found that not only are people willing to engage in a yoga-based mobility program, but that it is at least as popular as existing falls prevention programs.
The issue of improving health literacy in Australia is also addressed, with a paper by Jane Lloyd and colleagues finding that the health system needs to substantially raise its game in making information accessible, understandable and actionable for patients and the community. In her paper, she argues that this can be done by co-designing communication resources in collaboration with patients and communities, and providing better training for doctors and health staff to improve communication with patients.
In an editorial, Editor-in-Chief Professor Don Nutbeam called for researchers to “put the ‘public’ back into public health”, by ensuring more research focused on testing interventions that deliver tangible health benefits for individuals and communities.
“The research community, particularly in the health and medical arena, and those who fund the research, need to be constantly asking themselves what research is going to have the most real-world impact, relevance and genuine engagement with the public,” said Professor Don Nutbeam, who is also a Professor of Public Health at Sydney University. “Providing answers to the questions that the Australian community has around public health issues is what we should be focused on.”
Professor Nutbeam said the papers in this edition of the journal provide a good example of the full spectrum of public health research that is of practical use to the wider community.
“The papers in this edition canvas a wide range of topics – but they all share a practical grounding in issues that are of value to the wider community,” said Professor Nutbeam. “While this can sometimes be challenging – particularly when most research grant funding systems reward narrowly defined, methodologically-pure research – it is incumbent on all of us in the research community to focus on issues of genuine impact and relevance to the local community.”
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Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected] W: www.phrp.com.au T: @phrpjournal
Public Health Research & Practice is a peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Subscribe for free at www.phrp.com.au/about-us/subscribe/
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Papers in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice:
Megan Howe June 14th, 2018
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Australia granted 13,760 humanitarian visas to offshore applicants in 2016-17. This number will increase to a planned offshore program of 18,750 in 2018-19, and there is a continued need to ensure that the health and well-being of these immigrants is safeguarded during the settlement process, as well as mitigating against discrimination.
In a paper in Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, we outline how collaboration between like-minded national governments can improve pre-migration health assessments (PMHAs) through information sharing, collaborative learning and increased capability in countries of origin.
Read the full story on themandarin.com.au
Megan Howe April 27th, 2018
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They might be qualified, committed and keen to work but newly arrived refugees face significant barriers to work – the “catch-22” of needing Australian experience to find employment but requiring employment to gain that experience.
Between November 2015 and July last year, Australia resettled an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq in a one-off program to help people displaced by long-running civil conflicts.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Megan Howe April 27th, 2018
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
Many refugees who are living in the Australian community are missing out on appropriate healthcare due to problems such as fragmented services and poor continuity of care, according to a series of papers in Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, today.
Professor Mark Harris, from the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at the University of New South Wales, said that although good services exist, there was a lack of integration between specialist services and the primary healthcare system, making it difficult for patients to transition from one service to another.
“Many refugees and people seeking asylum have very complex health needs – including PTSD, chronic disease and, in some cases, torture – and there are a number of specialist services that people can access,” said Professor Harris, who is also a volunteer medical officer at the NSW Asylum Seekers Centre. “The challenge often comes when people need to transition into mainstream general practice.”
“Our research has identified a series of systematic and individual challenges during transition, including disrupted access to Medicare, fragmented care, mainstream GPs being unable to cope with the complex social needs and entitlements of refugees, and difficulties ensuring the proper transition of medical records.
“For individual refugees, there can often be a lack of understanding of how to navigate a complex and unfamiliar health system, a lack of specialist medical experience for their complex needs, and the fact that more pressing concerns such as visa, housing and employment stresses often take precedence over medical needs.
“A combination of some or all of these factors can prevent refugees and people seeking asylum successfully transitioning into general practice care – some will return to overloaded specialist care providers but others simply fall through the cracks of the healthcare system. This can mean some patients may not have optimal treatment of their mental health conditions. They may then lie dormant and become reactivated at times of stress,” he said.
Professor Harris said that better integration between specialist and mainstream services was key, as was better education for newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees.
“Between 2006 and 2015, Australia welcomed an estimated 140,000 refugees, and there are an estimated 30,000 people seeking asylum currently waiting for their applications to be processed – we have a very good story to tell of supporting those in need here in Australia,” he said.
“What we need to do is re-evaluate the transition process. That’s why we are recommending that refugees are supported at every step on the transition process, including identifying an appropriate GP/medical services, ensuring Medicare coverage and patients records are transitioned in a timely manner and ongoing liaison with refugees and asylum seekers to ensure their needs are being met,” Professor Harris said.
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected] W: www.phrp.com.au T: @phrpjournal
Public Health Research & Practice is a peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Subscribe for free at www.phrp.com.au/about-us/subscribe/
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe March 15th, 2018
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Almost 80% of Australians want clearer labels on unhealthy foods, but far fewer support taxation as a tool to deter consumption.
In a survey of 2,474 adults in New South Wales, Cancer Council NSW researchers found that 86% of people supported a colour-coded food labelling system, 79% supported displaying health warning labels on unhealthy food, and 73% supported a ban on unhealthy food advertising that targets children.
Read the full story on foodnavigator-asia.com
Megan Howe January 11th, 2018
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
The number of people with obesity has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, with 63% of the Australian adult population now classed as overweight or obese.
This can have negative health effects such as an increased risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
According to research published by the Sax Institute in the journal Public Health Research & Practice, it is estimated that 3917 cancer cases (3.4% of all cancers) diagnosed in 2010 could be attributed to overweight/obesity, 7089 (6.1%) to inadequate diet and 1814 (1.6%) to inadequate physical activity.
Read the full story on foodprocessing.com.au
Megan Howe January 11th, 2018
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There are calls for more to be done to boost farm safety after a report found work-related death rates have not improved for more than a decade in New South Wales.
A research paper released today by Public Health Research & Practice found farm fatalities rates had not improved between 2001 and 2015.
About 370 people died on farms during that period with more than half being work-related.
Read the full story on abc.net.au
Megan Howe December 11th, 2017
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
Regulations to improve food labelling have strong public support, with almost 80% of people surveyed supporting the introduction of better labels on unhealthy foods such as those that are high in sugar, salt and fat.
In a survey of 2474 adults in NSW, Cancer Council NSW researchers found that 86% of people supported a colour-coded food labelling system, 79% supported displaying health warning labels on unhealthy food and 73% of people supported a ban on unhealthy food advertising that targets children.
The research, in the latest edition of the journal Public Health Research & Practice, published by the Sax Institute, also found that the most unpopular policy was a tax on unhealthy foods, with only 42% of people supporting the move.
“Restrictions on food marketing to children should remain a priority, given the high public acceptance and evidence of effectiveness,” said study co-author Clare Hughes, who is the Nutrition Program Manager at Cancer Council NSW.
“It is also important to strengthen food labelling laws to ensure only healthy foods can carry claims about nutrition content. This would boost confidence in food labelling and better support consumers to make healthier food choices.”
The study, conducted in 2013, aimed to identify whether there is a relationship between support for food policy initiatives and awareness of the link between obesity-related lifestyle risk factors and cancer.
Recent estimates in Australia show that more than 3900 cancer cases (3.4% of all cancers) diagnosed in 2010 could be attributed to overweight or obesity, 7089 (6.1%) to inadequate diet and 1814 (1.6%) to inadequate physical activity.
The study found support for food policy initiatives was higher among those who were aware of the link between cancer and obesity-related lifestyle factors than among those who were unaware of this link.
“Increasing awareness of the link between obesity-related lifestyle factors and cancer could increase community support for food policy initiatives, which, in turn, support the population to maintain a healthy weight,” Ms Hughes said.
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Approximately 60% of all farm injury deaths are work related, and there has been no improvement in NSW for at least 15 years, research finds.
Daily smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults has decreased from 50% to 41% over the past decade, with particular success in urban and regional areas, research finds.
Public health and policy responses to the advertising of unhealthy food and drinks needs to include embracing social media platforms to deliver effective counter-marketing campaigns.
Barriers such as patients refusing to provide information are preventing GPs from ensuring hepatitis B contacts are appropriately screened and vaccinated.
Strategies to increase public awareness of risk factors for colorectal cancer and screening recommendations are urgently required, with research finding that many patients have poor understanding of the risks.
Communicating with the public about the risks of naturally occurring asbestos should involve open acknowledgment of uncertainty, prioritising response to community concern above narrow myth busting strategies, and supporting community action.
Antenatal screening for hepatitis B can be used to monitor trends in population prevalence, researchers find.
Pharmaceutical claims are a robust proxy for prescription data to describe medicine use in patients with HER2 positive breast cancer.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Deputy Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected] W: www.phrp.com.au T: @phrpjournal
Public Health Research & Practice is a peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Subscribe for free at www.phrp.com.au/about-us/subscribe/
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe December 7th, 2017
Posted In: Media, Media Releases
Smoking-related deaths among Indigenous Australians are likely to continue to rise over the next decade, despite big reductions in smoking rates, a new study led by the Australian National University has found.
The researchers say it shows the need to continue successful grassroots efforts to cut smoking rates within indigenous communities.
They said more robust data was needed to make sure regional areas were able to monitor trends at a local level.
Read the full story on smh.com.au
Megan Howe October 11th, 2017
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
Discriminatory practices dating back to Australia’s colonial history are at least partly to blame for a comparatively high smoking rate among Indigenous populations, according to a team of academic researchers at the Australian National University.
In a paper being published today in Public Health Research & Practice, Canberra-based researchers have found while Australia as a whole has made good progress at reducing the national smoking rate to one of the lowest levels in the world, the rate remains much higher among Indigenous communities.
Read the full story on abc.net.au
Megan Howe October 11th, 2017
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
The number of smoking-related deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is predicted to continue to increase, and to peak over the next decade, resulting in thousands of premature deaths that are largely preventable.
In a paper in the latest edition of the Sax Institute’s journal Public Health Research & Practice, researchers report that there have been substantial reductions in smoking prevalence among Indigenous Australians – from 55% in 1994 down to 41% in 2014–15. However the lag between smoking and its associated cancer mortality means the number of smoking deaths is likely to keep climbing in the near future.
“We have seen significant decreases in smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, which will bring substantial health benefit in both the short and long term. However, we will continue to see the health consequences of tobacco use from up to 30 years ago – when smoking prevalence was at its peak – because of the delay between smoking and the onset of diseases such as lung cancer,” said Dr Raymond Lovett, from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University.
“We are about to see the full effects of tobacco’s lethal legacy on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. While warning of these impacts, it is important to also note that there has been substantial progress in reducing tobacco use, particularly in the last decade, and this will not be reflected in current mortality patterns.
“The progress we have seen gives us a clear sign that we can further reduce smoking prevalence and improve Indigenous health. We need a continued comprehensive approach to tobacco control, and the incorporation of Indigenous leadership, long-term investment and the provision of culturally appropriate materials and activities is critical to further reducing tobacco use.”
The article is part of a special issue of the journal, which celebrates 50 years since the 1967 referendum, when Australians voted to amend the constitution to allow the Commonwealth to create laws for Indigenous people and include them in the Census.
The issue also includes an interview with the Minister for Indigenous Health, Ken Wyatt, discussing achievements and failures in Indigenous health over the past 50 years.
The Minister said research was increasingly being done in partnership with Indigenous researchers and communities, with greater acknowledgement of the socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors that affect Indigenous health.
“We’re seeing over the past two decades greater referencing made to social determinants of health and the logical framing of the reasons for needing to address education, employment, community safety, training and housing,” Mr Wyatt said.
The Minister said in future he would like to see more focus on young Indigenous people, particularly greater understanding of the drivers of resilience and suicide.
Other articles in the issue include a discussion about the impact and causes of illness and death in Indigenous people, and a description of a NSW initiative to strengthen the Aboriginal public health workforce.
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Other papers in this issue of Public Health Research & Practice:
Researchers have called for fall injury prevention strategies in aged care facilities after finding that residents of aged care facilities had a greater proportion of fall injury hospitalisations compared with people living in the community
Improvements are needed in the way child injuries are reported in NSW to monitor and prevent one of the most common reasons why a child is hospitalised.
The burden of disease among Indigenous Australians is more than double that among non-Indigenous people, with chronic diseases being responsible for most of gap, research finds.
A NSW training initiative is helping to strengthen the NSW Aboriginal public health workforce, and reduce the gap with Indigenous health outcomes.
Health literacy, culturally appropriate care and cancer prevention are some of the key research priorities to improve cancer control for Indigenous Australians, according to a new survey.
Researchers studying Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing must collaborate closely with Indigenous communities, and produce research that benefits the communities involved, experts say.
Self-reported data on medication use are likely to be useful for classifying exposure to medications, particularly for long-term, regularly used medications, research finds.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Nyssa Skilton, PHRP Deputy Editor
M: 0408 331 262 E: [email protected] W: www.phrp.com.au T: @phrpjournal
Public Health Research & Practice is a peer-reviewed, Medline-listed quarterly online journal published by the Sax Institute. Subscribe for free at www.phrp.com.au/about-us/subscribe/
Please acknowledge Public Health Research & Practice as the source for any stories on our papers.
Megan Howe October 11th, 2017
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Technological advances are heralding a new era of personalised medicine in the detection and treatment of cancer, but what does this mean for screening?
An important new themed edition of the Public Health Research & Practice journal examines the benefits, harms and controversies in Australia’s cancer screening programs, with a series of papers that are all worth your time.
Read the full story on croakey.org
Megan Howe August 1st, 2017
Posted In: Media, PHRP in the news
