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Adolescent/Child Health

• PREVENTING OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN YOUNG CHILDREN: SYNTHESISING THE EVIDENCE FOR MANAGEMENT AND POLICY MAKING 1 page Project led by Lydia Hearn
  
  Today, 3.24 million Australians are estimated to be obese. Without effective preventative programs, particularly among young children, this figure could rise to 7.2 million by 2025. This review provides practical information on successful and/or promising interventions that strengthen the primary health care response, through the promotion of healthy weight among young children aged two-to-six years. It reviews the policy implications of implementing these in different settings.
  
  
  • Key Findings/Policy options (2 pages)
  • Full Systematic Review

  Lydia Hearn and Margaret Miller were recipients of an APHCRI Linkage and Exchange Travelling Fellowship. Summary report

• BUILDING A PORTFOLIO OF INTERVENTIONS: PROVIDING ALTERNATIVES FOR THE PROMOTION OF HEALTHY WEIGHT AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN IN AUSTRALIA
  
  Led by Lydia Hearn and Margaret Miller, this project aims to develop and pilot a portfolio of interventions for the prevention of overweight and obesity in children aged 2-to-5 years, for use with different primary health care providers, outlining key components of ‘promising' interventions, including: relevance and acceptability, likely cost implications, availability of support materials, staff capacity building needs, and level of engagement of key stakeholders.

• A TRIAL OF NEW WAYS TO ENCOURAGE ADOLESCENT AUSTRALIANS TO AVOID OR REDUCE RISK BEHAVIOURS
  
  Risky behaviours that pose a health threat to adolescents - such as smoking, drinking, drug use and unprotected sex - may be reduced if doctors adopt a new proactive approach in counselling patients. This three-year study will test the effectiveness and economic viability of screening and counselling young people in general practice to try and devise a best practice model for helping adolescents.

  Dr Lena Sanci, a Senior Lecturer at Melbourne University, has brought together a team to focus on the role of the general practice nurse in counselling young people. The team will compare the results from existing models of care with the impact made by a group of GPs and practice nurses who have undergone training in screening and counselling of young people and in linking with other agencies caring for youth.
  

• READINESS FOR SCHOOL
  
  This project led by Ms Karen Gardner from APHCRI, aimed to understand what organised primary health care approaches can contribute to childhood developmental health and well being outcomes related to readiness for school in children aged zero-to-five years.

  The project had two components that were conducted in two stages. These are:

  1. A systematic review and synthesis of the black and grey literatures relating to the major developmental health issues that underpin readiness for school in children zero-to-five years, known to be amenable to primary health care intervention.
  2. A systematic review and synthesis of the black and grey literatures relating to best-practice approaches in organised primary health care for addressing these major developmental health issues.