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Influencing agriculture practice behaviour change and trust frameworks. (Old ID 26963)
The ecologically-determined water quality improvement targets for the Great Barrier Reef can only be met with significant improvement in farm management practices. Numerous programs over many years, utilising a variety of approaches, have worked with land managers and representative farmer groups, seeking to achieve high levels of uptake of recommended farming practices. However, these have only met with low-moderate success. There has been significant work encouraging and facilitating behaviour and practice change in recent years, including through, but certainly not limited to, the NESP TWQ Hub. Programs encouraging behaviour and practice change are set to remain a feature of contemporary reef funding programs. Thus it is timely to coordinate a synthesis of learnings in this domain. Increasing understanding of, and improving trust frameworks and behaviour change of land managers will lead to improved water quality to the Great Barrier Reef. Understanding the impetus, benefits and barriers of behaviour change for agricultural practice is a large step in improving water quality to the Great Barrier Reef.
Getting Australia's Health on Track 2024. (3rd ed.) Project Report
Getting Australia’s Health on Track provides a national blueprint to bridge the life expectancy gap between the wealthiest and poorest Australians, reduce preventable illness and disability, and significantly improve the health of the nation.
As a set of policy initiatives and priority policy actions, it is especially relevant to government and industry, and to health, education and employment services and professions.
The Real Face of Men’s Health
A landmark report series laying bare the true state of men's health — country by country, community by community. Developed by the Movember Institute of Men's Health in partnership with local experts across six markets, the reports combine original research, lived experience and compelling evidence to make the case for urgent, systemic change
Social prescribing in the Australian context: A national feasibility study
This report summarises the findings of a national feasibility study commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (now the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing) to assess the viability of implementing social prescribing in the Australian context. The aims of the feasibility study were to: • collate and review the most up-to-date Australian and international social prescribing evidence, including peer-reviewed research, programmatic evaluations and other relevant literature; • analyse the key features and shared characteristics of successful international and Australian social prescribing initiatives; • determine which social prescribing models are most applicable and appropriate in the Australian context for connecting primary healthcare patients to non-clinical interventions and community supports; and • identify barriers and enablers to the effective, systematic implementation of social prescribing as an adjunct to primary healthcare in Australia
Dietary approaches to support mental health Policy Evidence Brief
This report considers identified needs and relevant evidence supporting effective interventions and makes four policy recommendations: 1. Access to dietetic services for people with a common mental disorder requiring multidisciplinary treatment services should be provided through inclusion of Accredited Practising Dietitians as eligible allied health professional providers under the Better Access Initiative. 2. National Information and resources on the role of diet and nutrition in mental health should be commissioned, in addition to the suite of education and resources funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the department) for organisations and professionals to help them support people with mental ill-health (14). These should then be implemented by relevant medical, allied health and mental health education and training organisations. 3. Social prescription within primary health care practice should include referral to community organisations and services providing individual support with nutrition for individuals with common mental disorders. 4. National, state and territory mental health policies and programs should raise public awareness of the role of nutrition and diet in mental health.
Sleep: a core pillar of health and wellbeing : Improving population sleep health to reduce preventable illness and injury – Policy Evidence Review
This policy evidence review has drawn together the available evidence on sleep health relevant to the
Australian policy context and has identified policy approaches that would enable a nationally
consistent approach to improving sleep health in Australia. In particular, it focusses on how policy can
best support the prevention and treatment of poor sleep in the Australian population. The role of
population health policy in improving public awareness, understanding and engagement in improved
sleep health is considered together with the potential for primary care services, particularly general
practice, to identify, prevent and treat poor sleep and sleep disorders. The clinical treatment and
management of sleep disorders within specialist sleep health services are beyond the scope of this
paper.
Strengthening Sense of Control in Later Life: A Mindfulness-Supported Control-Enhancement Pilot Study in Australia and China
Older adults experiencing psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and stress, frequently report diminished sense of control, a factor associated with poorer emotional wellbeing and reduced coping capacity.
Grounded in contemporary control theory2, this pilot project examines whether a mindfulness-supported, control-enhancement intervention can strengthen sense of control and adaptive control modes among Australian and Chinese older adults with psychological distress. The intervention integrates mindfulness practices with structured inquiry to increase awareness of controllable versus uncontrollable domains, cultivate flexible control strategies, and strengthen personal agency across sociocultural contexts.
Overall, aim the study aims to strengthen sense of control among Australian and Chinese older adults with psychological distress.
Validation of the Lifestyle Medicine Behavioural and Readiniess (LM-BAR) tool
A multi-institutional project across JCU, University of Melbourne and Macquarie University under professional and service user validation of a clinical too that assesses the social determinants, lifestyle determinants and behavioural readiness and priorities.
A Forensic Approach to Elucidating the Life History of the Deadly Jellyfish Chironex fleckeri using eDNA. (Old ID 27045)
The polyps of the deadly Chironex fleckeri represent the longest-lived stage of jellyfish and are the source of medusa. However, there is almost no information on the benthic polyp stages of this species. Environmental DNA should allow me to detect polyps and therefore identify the sources of jellyfish which will increase our understanding of cubozoan ecology and how to minimise their threat of envenomating humans. Further, oceanographic modelling, that incorporates the decay of eDNA, will provide greater knowledge of ‘DNA’ halos’ that signals proximity to targeted polyp beds and jellyfish aggregations.
A climate-aware future for sustainable sea cucumber harvesting
This project will future-proof Australia’s sea cucumber fisheries by developing a validated national-scale species
distribution model. Using advanced remote sensing, machine learning, and the largest sea cucumber survey ever
conducted, it will generate new insights into habitat associations and population densities across Australian
waters. The expected outcome is a tool to ensure sustainable fishery practices into a changing climate. This
initiative will support conservation of these often-overlooked, threatened species while maintaining a sustainable and profitable industry. Ultimately, the project contributes to biodiversity protection and the long-term viability of sea cucumber fisheries across the entire Australian marine region.