ANZCTR search results

This study will be a randomised, 12-week cross-over controlled design, the objective is to establish the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of two dietary interventions (prepared meals and meal kits) vs a control condition (Coles/Myer vouchers) in community-based people living with schizophrenia who are overweight or obese. We hypothesise that both dietary interventions will be acceptable to participants (i.e., greater than or equal to 75% of participants will use prepared meals and meal kits for greater than or equal to 50% of the trial days), and that both dietary interventions will improve metabolic and other health-related outcomes from baseline to each 4-week follow-up. We also anticipate that prepared meals, given they require the least cognitive effort to use, will be the most acceptable option out of the three study arms, and Coles/Myer vouchers the least feasible and acceptable as participants in this arm receive neither specific foods, recipes nor prepared meals.

This is a project that aims to help communities who were impacted by the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires. The focus is on recovery after the bushfires and increasing resilience to natural disasters within the community, which may help with recovery efforts for possible bushfires or other events in the future. We are looking at working with the local communities to help with recovery and community wellbeing after the bushfires and also to build preparedness for any future bushfires (should they occur again). It is our aim to obtain information from local residents who have experienced bushfires and utilise their experiences and input to produce a programme that will also help future communities in Australia to recover from bushfires.

Aim: The study is testing a novel way to improve awareness and detection of raised blood pressure in Australia by screening customers and/or the workforce of Bunnings Warehouse for raised blood pressure and related health markers on SiSU Health Stations. The aim is to to identify, refer and follow adults in need of hypertension care, whilst raising population-wide awareness. In a randomised control trial, we will determine in participants with detected high BP at a SiSU health station in Bunnings, whether text message-based nudges encouraging repeat BP checks at the SiSU health station and to visit their GP, compared to those not receiving text messages, will result in a greater proportion of participants to recheck their BP at a SiSU health station over the course of 12 months. Secondary outcomes include identifying change in BP, weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, and use of BP medications in people who visit SiSU health stations more than once. Hypothesis: text message-based nudges will be superior to control in terms of promoting repeat BP checks in adults detected with high BP at SiSU health stations at Bunnings warehouses.

Commercial tobacco use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is intrinsically linked with colonisation, dispossession, and racism. Today, 43% of Aboriginal people are daily smokers and tobacco remained the largest single risk behaviour for the adverse health conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contributing 17% of total burden. Research has consistently shown that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want to quit smoking. This study is built upon a pilot trial conducted in 2022/23 (ACTRN12622000654752). This study is built upon a pilot trial conducted in 2022/23. The pilot trial showed the acceptability and feasibility of the mailout smoking cessation intervention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This study will provide flexible, and potentially low-cost access to evidence-based smoking cessation support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the mailout smoking cessation program using a self-reported 7-day point-prevalence and continuous abstinence at 3 months and 6 months follow-up.

One in four people who are admitted to palliative care experience psycho-existential distress, which can be highly debilitating and reduce people’s quality of life, particularly in the last year of life. This study is investigating whether a meditation program using a combination of face-to-face and at home guided meditation is feasible and acceptable to people with advanced cancer who have been admitted to palliative care. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years or older, you are currently undergoing palliative care for advanced cancer and you are currently experiencing distress. Study details All participants who choose to enroll in this study will be invited to attend up to five face-to-face meditation sessions over a 3 week period. These face-to-face sessions will be guided by a trained meditation instructor. Each meditation session will last up to 20 minutes and will involve techniques including focused attention to the breath, guided relaxation of major muscle groups, and silence with gentle ambient music. These techniques will be audio-recorded so people can continue to practice meditation in between the facilitated sessions. Participants will also be asked to continue practicing meditation between 1 and 3 times per week for the 3 weeks of the study. Throughout the 3 weeks of the study, participants will be asked to nominate how often they are practicing the meditation techniques and whether they are feeling less distressed before and after a meditation session. At the end of the study, participants will also have the opportunity to participate in a once-off interview with a member of the research team to discuss their experience with the meditation program. It is hoped this research will determine whether patients in palliative care find the meditation sessions useful, if they are happy with the number of sessions they undertook, and whether they would suggest any changes to the program. If this study finds that the meditation program is acceptable to patients, it may be expanded to a larger number of patients who are in palliative care.

The primary purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of 4 different novel pharmacological treatments in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. We hypothesise that there will be a significant difference in a) improvement in AN symptoms from baseline to end of treatment, and 2) increase in BMI from baseline to end of treatment in the 4 groups receiving pharmacological treatment as compared to the control group.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease worldwide; progression and severity are influenced by systemic inflammation, lifestyle factors and body composition. With no pharmacological treatments available, exercise and diet are first-line treatments. The mechanisms by which lifestyle interventions influence NAFLD severity are unknown but may be related to inflammation and gut microbiome composition. We aim to examine whether gut microbiome composition and inflammation are related to NAFLD severity; and whether 12-weeks of exercise impacts gut microbiome , inflammation and NAFLD severity. This research will provide basis for identifying novel treatments for NAFLD by targeting the microbiome. This research will develop our understanding of how exercise improves NAFLD through modulation of gut microbiome diversity and inflammation. This will contribute to identifying effective exercise prescriptions that target underpinning mechanisms to improve health outcomes for patients with NAFLD and prevent disease progression. This in turn will contribute to better diagnosis/treatment when considering disease severity and outcomes for those with NAFLD. Additionally, assessment of potential changes in HRQoL of NAFLD patients in response to exercise training will verify real world efficacy, considering the gut microbiome and inflammation in NAFLD progression/severity. There is evidence showing that exercise-mediated changes to the gut microbiome influence biological variables known to be related to NAFLD severity and progression. However, research is yet to examine correlations between gut microbiome alpha diversity, key inflammatory markers, and body composition with NAFLD severity. Additionally, research is yet to examine the effects of a combined exercise program on gut microbiome composition in NAFLD. Research aimed at filling these gaps could inform the development of evidence-based recommendations for diagnostic, exercise, and treatment-related outcomes in patients with NAFLD and place SCUH Hepatology/Gastroenterology as a leading department in novel research and treatment in this field. SCUH has the expertise to undertake clinical data collection, as well as access to a large patient group and access to excellent laboratory facilities, however, the department does not have the expertise required to run clinical exercise interventions or assess inflammation or gut microbiome diversity.

This study is investigating whether early reintroduction of oral feeding following free flap surgery of the oral cavity has benefits to patients. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult with a diagnosis of cancer of the head or neck, and are undergoing oral mucosal resection with free flap reconstruction. Study details Participants will be assessed by a speech pathologist on Day 1 post-operatively to determine whether it is safe to re-introduce oral intake of solids and fluids. Regular speech pathologist assessments will occur, as per standard and current clinical practice, to guide the progression of the oral diet. Data on patient outcomes and nutritional status will be collected and a semi-structured interview will be conducted with patients to understand their perspectives of eating and drinking after surgery. It is hoped that findings from this study will help inform a new approach to reintroducing oral feeding for patients following free flap surgery

The goals of this research project are to evaluate the implementation and preliminary effectiveness of an attachment-based and trauma-informed parent program for foster carers and children in their care. The program aims to promote carers' understanding of and sensitive responding to their child's behaviour and emotions, and, in turn, strengthen the carer-child relationship and promote children's behavioural and emotional wellbeing.

Older people are more likely to develop postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after cardiac surgery due to the possible age-related decline in inspiratory muscle strength. We aim to investigate the impact of frailty on inspiratory. muscle strength amongst older people following elective cardiac surgeries. We also aim to investigate the impact of frailty on lung function and PPCs. The findings of the study may elucidate potential means to identify individuals who may be more at risk of PPCs following surgery and could assist in the development of tailored post-surgical management strategies.