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The adoption of healthy school canteen policies has been recommended as a strategy to prevent excessive weight gain. A number of jurisdictions in Australia and internationally have policies requiring school adoption of healthy canteen strategies. Despite this, internationally, schools have failed to adopt healthy canteen practices consistent with such policies. If the benefits of obesity prevention initiatives are to be realised, policies recommended to prevent overweight must be implemented. However, research measuring the effectiveness of interventions to facilitate widespread implementation of health promoting policies and practices in schools is limited. The aim of the research is to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention intervention in increasing canteen practices consistent with the mandatory NSW government healthy canteen policy (‘Fresh Tastes @ School’). The study will employ a randomised trial design. Sixty-three primary schools will be randomised to receive a 9 month intervention, or a no intervention comparison group. The intervention will facilitate implementation of the policy through encouraging executive support and endorsement, training, resources, monitoring and feedback, communication strategies and ongoing telephone support. The effectiveness of the intervention will be determined by comparing post intervention differences between canteen menus audited by Dietitians in: i) the proportion of schools with a canteen menu containing foods or beverages restricted (‘red’ items) under the policy and; ii) the proportion of schools where healthy canteen items (‘green’) represent the majority (>50%) of products listed on the menu as recommended by the policy.

Smoke-Free Recovery from trauma surgery is a trial taking place at the John Hunter and Liverpool Hospital, NSW. The study will investigate the uptake and usage of an online smoking cessation programme following an orthopaedic trauma. Smoke-Free Recovery will be developed to provide help for patients’ recovery from orthopaedic trauma surgery while successfully quitting smoking. The program will be specifically tailored to the individual’s smoking profile and will provide information about the effects of smoking on their specific wound recovery. This study aims to determine if it is feasible to provide patients with an online smoking cessation programme to promote smoking cessation during and following hospitalisation.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is characterised by low mood, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, change in appetite, anxiety, guilt, feelings relating to an inability to cope and worthlessness and thoughts of suicide. Postpartum depression (PPD) is estimated to affect 8-25% of women in the first 36 months after giving birth. Currently, psychosocial assessments (interview) and depression screening (self report questionnaire) during the perinatal period is routine clinical practice in New South Wales. Assessments aim to identify psychosocial risk factors for poor postnatal mental health (e.g. lack of support or recent stressors). There is little information regarding the genetic or biological indicators of PPD. Postpartum depression can have serious and prolonged effects on the mental and physical health of both the mother and child. Current studies support the positive influence of physical activity for treating PPD. This project aims to investigate the antenatal predictors of PPD and physical activity in adult women residing in the New England region. The aims of this research project are threefold: 1) To determine if there is an association with genetic variation and the incidence of PPD; 2) To evaluate the relationship between genetic variation and physical activity participation and; 3) To determine the relationship between theory driven predictors of physical activity and postpartum physical activity participation in women who live in rural areas. Variables including demographic information, medical information relating to pregnancy and labour, symptoms of postnatal depression, health related quality of life, emotional resilience, maternal social support, objectively measured physical activity, physical activity self-efficacy, social support for physical activity participation, ratio of perceived advantages and disadvantages of physical activity (decisional balance), biological markers of stress (including salivary cortisol and aAmylase) and potential genetic markers of vulnerability to depression (serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and reelin gene (RELN) polymorphisms) will be assessed at two time points; participants second antenatal clinic visit (approximately 20 weeks gestation) and three months postnatal. Relationships between measured variables at each time point will be assessed using standard statistical techniques (e.g. Pearson correlation, Fishers Z score). Multiple regression analyses will be used to determine psychosocial and biological antenatal predictors (absolute and relative changes from pre to postnatal) of postnatal physical activity and symptoms of depression. The project outcomes aim to provide a mechanism for improved screening, contribute to the research relating to the prevention of PPD, and evaluate the predictors of physical activity.

The proposed PADDAG trial is a prospective, stratified-randomised controlled trial to determine whether the use of intraoperative dexamethasone, a widely used antiemetic in adult surgical patients, is associated with an increased blood glucose concentration, and whether this increase is greater in patients with diabetes than in those without. Secondary outcomes will include the risk of infection, and the interaction between dexamethasone administration, diabetic status, glycaemic control and infective complications.

Currently, opinion amongst obstetric anaesthetists is divided as to whether an intravenous (IV) route is superior to the per rectum (PR) route for perioperative mangagement of post caesarean section pain. An audit of the mean total 48 hour opioid requirements post caesaren section was undertaken at The Northern Hospital during March 2014. This did not reveal a difference in the mean opioid requirement between the two different routes of analgesia administration. Despite this, there is a significant increased cost associated with the use of IV analgesia. It has been estimated that for every 4,000 deliveries, by not using IV analgesia, a cost saving of $20,000.00 will result. Therefore, we wish to conduct a randomised controlled trial, using current Australian TGA approved medications and formulations, in line with current obstetric anaesthesia practice to determine if the IV route provides superior analgesia. As such, we would expect to find a 20% decrease in total 48 hour opioid consumption when the IV route is compared to the PR route. Statistical anlaysis of the prior audit has determined that we will need to recruit 50 women into each arm of this trial.

Treatment effectiveness: This study will determine whether there is a difference between the number and type of circulating tumour cells in cancer patients before and after treatment. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18-80 years, diagnosed with any cancer and have received treatment at least 3 weeks ago or will receive treatment within one week. Study details The study aims to establish the Circulating Tumour Cell (CTC) detection method using the ISET (Isolation by Size of Epithelial/Trophoblastic Tumour Cells) device (Rarecells, France) in conjunction with cancer therapies offered at National Institute of Integrative Medicine. There will be no changes to the participants’ cancer treatment plans. Participants will be required to provide a blood sample at the beginning of their treatment and 3 months after commencement of treatment. The blood will be processed using the ISET technology to determine the number and types of circulating tumour cells. Early detection screening: This component of the study aims to determine whether the ISET-ED screening blood test can be used for early detection of cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this part of the study if you are aged between 18-80 years and have a family history of cancer, or have been diagnosed with chronic disease, or are attending a health check. Study details: Participants in this part of the study will undergo a blood test at baseline and at 3 months. The ISET-ED (early detection screening) test has the potential to detect potentially malignant cells, and other illness causing rare cells.

The aim of this study is to determine whether telehealth is more cost effective, feasible and acceptable than in person psychological support for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged between 15 years and 25 years and have been newly diagnosed or have relapsed with cancer, for which you will undergo curative or palliative therapy at any paediatric or adult cancer centre in NSW or ACT. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive psychological support via telehealth, whilst participants in the other group will receive in person psychological support. The psychosocial evaluation will be carried out at baseline, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months. All participants will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires at these time points relating to treatment acceptability and satisfaction, anxiety and quality of life. This will enable us to work out how effective telehealth is in implementing psychosocial support among AYAs with cancer, while also assessing its use as an age-appropriate model of delivering support, taking into account developmental concerns around autonomy and independence. An additional aim is to demonstrate evidence supporting the validity of the AYA Psychosocial Assessment Screening Tool and Psychosocial Assessment. While the distress thermometer (DT) is widely used and has been validated in numerous adult cancer populations, participants under the age of 18 have been excluded. Thus, there isn’t currently a validated instrument for measuring distress amongst AYAs with cancer.

A phytochemical- and mineral-rich filtered sugarcane molasses concentrate (FMC), when added to carbohydrate-containing foods as a functional ingredient, lowers postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses. We hypothesized that this beneficial effect would also occur if FMC was administered as an oral supplement taken before a meal. This study measured the postprandial glucose and insulin responses elicited by different doses of FMC administered immediately prior to a standard breakfast to healthy subjects. Each subject was given three or five breakfast meals once, on different days. The composition of the meals was identical, except for the addition of either placebo syrup (Test Meal 1), or increasing doses of FMC (Test Meals 2-5).

To assess clinical outcomes of patients who received direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (DPEJ) for enteral feeding.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of daily supplementation of a commercially available fermented milk product (Yakult) to increase gut microbial content. Specifically, it is hypothesized that ingestion of Yakult for 14 days will increase the concentration of intestinal Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) in 25 young healthy adults (18 - 35 yr).