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Research

The inequitable burden of infectious diseases among remote-living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a product of history

Although Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) is the sixth-most common infectious disease globally, its transmission within the household remains an understudied driver of infection. We undertook a systematic review to better understand the transmission of Strep A among people within the home, while highlighting opportunities for prevention.

Research

Co-Designing Health Service Evaluation Tools That Foreground First Nation Worldviews for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes

It is critical that health service evaluation frameworks include Aboriginal people and their cultural worldviews from design to implementation. During a large participatory action research study, Elders, service leaders and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers co-designed evaluation tools to test the efficacy of a previously co-designed engagement framework. Through a series of co-design workshops, tools were built using innovative collaborative processes that foregrounded Aboriginal worldviews.

Research

Delivering Elder- and Community-Led Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Research: Lessons from the Ngulluk Koolunga Ngulluk Koort Project

We describe the application of a participatory action research methodology that is grounded in Aboriginal worldviews

Research

Early Vocabulary Development of Australian Indigenous Children: Identifying Strengths

The current study sought to increase our understanding of the factors involved in the early vocabulary development of Australian Indigenous children.

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Evidence for the use of an algorithm in resolving inconsistent and missing Indigenous status in administrative data collections

We found that algorithms reduced the amount of missing data and improved within‑individual consistency.

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Perturbation of the T Cell Compartment Underlies Rheumatic Fever Pathogenesis

This prospective cohort study, which recruited participants with definite ARF in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, profiled circulating immune molecules and cells to inform disease mechanisms and future druggable pathways.

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Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of folic acid supplementation beyond the first trimester on maternal plasma unmetabolised folic acid in late gestation

Taking folic acid containing supplements prior to and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. Neural tube defects occur prior to 28 days postconception, after which, there is no proven benefit of continuing to take folic acid. However, many women continue to take folic acid containing supplements throughout the pregnancy.

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Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results

Urine is an attractive biospecimen for nutritional status and population health surveys. It is an excellent non-invasive alternative to blood for appropriate biomarkers in young children and is suitable for home-based collection, enabling representative collections across a population. However, the bulk of literature in this population is restricted to collection in primary care settings.

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Moderated Online Social Therapy for Carers of Early Psychosis Clients in Real-World Settings: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Family carers of youth recovering from early psychosis experience significant stress; however, access to effective family interventions is poor. Digital interventions provide a promising solution.

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Predictors and outcomes of engagement in an online depression prevention program for final year secondary school students

Although school-based delivery of online interventions can effectively prevent depression and other common mental disorders, little is known about the characteristics of students who engage with these programs. This study aimed to identify predictors of two indicators of adolescent engagement (program usage and skill enactment) with a school-based online depression prevention program. The study also explored the association between skill enactment and mental health outcomes.