ANZCTR search results

This study will evaluate changes in attitudes toward alcohol, knowledge and application of harm minimisation strategies and alcohol use following use of the eTool. A field trial will be conducted to determine the outcomes of the eTool on young people's attitudes to alcohol and knowledge of behaviours for safe alcohol consumption, as well as further information on the usability of the app. Young people will be given the eTool to trial for one month, during which time the eTool will collect information about their usage (including the number of times it was used; the date, time and duration each session of use), the sections of the eTool accessed and data entered into the app . This includes the number of drinks they typically consume on a 'fun', 'relaxed' and 'crazy' night and the number of drinks they can consume before hitting their 'stupid line' for drinking (the point at which a fun night out gets messy). At the end of the app young people are asked to re-enter the number of drinks they typically consume on a 'fun', 'relaxed' and 'crazy' night after receiving feedback on their night out with Ray, the red panda who is the character in the game. Research follow ups on young people's attitudes to alcohol, knowledge of behaviours for safe alcohol consumption and alcohol use is collected at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months follow up.

To compare the relative effectiveness of short-term 14 day high and low-antioxidant diet on airway inflammation, respiratory symptoms and immune function in athletes.

Preliminary research shows listening to music in early stroke rehabilitation can improve mood and cognition. This pilot project aims to test if participants who listen to 70 hours of preferred music in the first 12 weeks post stroke will have better outcomes in their mood, cognition, quality of life, communication and function.

This project aims to evaluate the effect of a formal advance care planning intervention (ACP) on the documentation of patient wishes, compliance with known end of life (EOL) wishes and the quality of death of patients with progressive incurable cancer on first line chemotherapy. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above and have been diagnosed with an incurable cancer with disease progression on first line chemotherapy. Eligible patients must be able to nominate a family member or friend who is willing to participate in the study who is 18 years of age or over. Study details Patients and their family/friend/carer will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive standard end of life care. Participants in the other group will receive standard care plus a formal advance care planning intervention. All patients and family who request information on life expectancy will be provided with typical, best case and worst case scenarios for survival time. The intervention aims to promote discussion between patient and family and the health care team and to promote documentation of the patient’s preferences for continuing and EOL care. The intervention involves the patient plus a family member or friend meeting with a specially trained nurse to have conversations about their goals, wishes and needs for care now and in the future, as well as how these matters will be shared with their doctor and health care team. For those patients allocated to the group who receive the intervention, this program will take between half an hour to 3 hours over 1 to 3 visits to complete, depending on patient preference. Patients will be asked to complete some questionnaires at baseline, 6 weeks, and every 3 months thereafter to evaluate quality of life and satisfaction with care. The patient’s family/friend/carer will also be asked to complete some questionnaires at baseline, 6 weeks, every 3 months until the patient’s death, and then at 3 months after bereavement to evaluate their perceived quality of death and the impact of death on surviving family. The costs of care will also be assessed.

This project will primarily examine whether an individual mental imagery based treatment for distressing mental images related to clinical perfectionism is better than receiving a standard cognitive treatment technique or relaxation techniques in a) reducing individuals' levels of clinical perfectionism, b) reducing the impact and distress caused by negative mental imagery and, c) reducing their symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or eating concerns and It is predicted that the mental imagery individual treatment will lead to greater reductions in clinical perfectionism, greater reductions in imagery distress, frequency, and intensity experienced, and psychological symptoms compared to the standard cognitive disputation technique and relaxation. Additionally this project will examine whether individual mental imagery psychological treatment for clinical perfectionism produces treatment-related change in each individual and whether this is clinically significant.

Type 1 diabetes is a serious condition affecting thousands of Australian children. It can lead to severe consequences for children including negative health outcomes, and elevated rates of behavioural and emotional problems, which can persist into adulthood. Parents of children with diabetes experience considerable difficulties, lack confidence, are unsure about what is appropriate for their child, and struggle with incorporating tasks into their day-to-day routines. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a brief, group-based parenting intervention for parents of children with type 1 diabetes. It is expected that participating in a group based parenting intervention has the potential to reduce ineffective and coercive parenting practices, and lead to improved child behavioural and emotional adjustment, better family wellbeing, and healthier children.

Background Dietary choice habits are known to influence cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, which even in childhood are a predictor of future morbidity. Our objective was determining the impact of a school-based intervention of providing fruit daily in the classroom and its effects on risk factors for CVD, and dietary behavior. Methods The study was a randomized controlled trial involving two public and two private schools, one of each in an intervention and control group. Measurement at both the start and end of eight weeks aimed to identify any changes in physiological measures, child and parental attitudes and food choices. Results The intervention had minimal impact on physiological variables, but was effective in improving the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed and attitudes towards fruit intake. Parent lifestyle and dietary choices were poor at baseline, but significantly improved in parents of children in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion This intervention was effective in improving the amount of fruit consumed and attitudes towards fruit intake over just 2 months. It has also shown the importance of not just the school environment but also suggests the home environment can influence children developing good dietary choice habits and lifestyle.

A multi centre, randomised, active control, trial of 200 patients comparing Prothrombinex VF with Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) as first line treatment for non surgical bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass.

This is an investigator initiated study, aiming to assess the prosthetic performance of total knee replacements (TKR) and to determine whether abnormal movement of the replaced knee has an impact upon function and pain at one year post-operatively. By using a prospective analysis of patients randomized to receive TKR of different designs, this study aims to determine the effect the type of prosthesis has on gait, three-dimensional joint movement plus both clinical and patient reported outcomes. In order to achieve this, joint motion, ground reaction forces and muscle activity will be recorded simultaneously from each subject during four test conditions; level walking, stair ascent, stair descent and chair rise. Limb alignment, pain and functional assessments will also be evaluated, to assist in determining variables associated with improved functional outcomes following TKR.

The current research will investigate the efficacy of a brief, minimal contact, cost effective theory-based intervention using implementation intentions and mental imagery techniques to target diet and physical activity behaviour to promote weight loss. In addition, the present study will evaluate whether mobile phone text messaging will be effective in augmenting the effectiveness of the intervention.