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Research

Breastfeeding

Convenient, readily available and helping create a close and loving bond between baby and mother, breastfeeding is highly regarded for optimising infant health and preventing chronic disease in adulthood.

Helping communities take charge of the early years

A program unfolding in four very diverse locations across Western Australia is working to give children aged 0–4 the best start in life.

Alcohol warning labels a win for Australian babies

Strong advocacy efforts have paid off with health and food safety ministers from around Australia and New Zealand finally approving the recommended version of a warning label designed to highlight the potential risks of alcohol during pregnancy.

A hop, skip and a jump to better health for kids

Not too long ago, if you had mentioned physical activity to educators at the Sonas Early Learning & Care centres run by Shelley Prendergast, they would automatically have reached for the trusty old obstacle course.

Don’t stop her now – Gina’s having a ball

Despite the risk of having a hypo (low blood glucose levels), Gina said she refused to let T1D stop her from exercising.

Reducing radiotherapy: new antibody gives hope for less toxic cancer treatment

WA Kids Cancer Centre is leading the charge to find innovative new treatments that will allow doctors to ‘dial down’ the amount of toxic treatments needed to fight cancer.

Research

Extreme weather events, home damage, and the eroding locus of control

The catastrophic consequences of natural disasters on social and economic systems are extensively documented, yet their influence on individuals' sense of control over their life outcomes remains unexplored. This study pioneers an investigation into the causal effects of natural disaster-related home damage on the locus of control.

Research

Cardiac monitoring safety assessment framework for early phase group a streptococcal vaccine trials

This paper presents a comprehensive cardiac safety framework for early clinical development of Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus) vaccines, endorsed by the Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium and the Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative. Given historical concerns about vaccine-associated acute rheumatic fever, we have established standardized echocardiography protocols integrated with clinical assessment for monitoring cardiac safety in early-phase vaccine trials.

Research

‘Feeling like you can't do anything because you don't know where to start’—Parents' Perspectives of Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Early Detection for Children at Risk of CP

Early detection of cerebral palsy (CP) risk is possible from 12 weeks corrected gestational age (CGA) using standardised assessments; however, up to half of children at risk are not referred early, missing out on early intervention. We investigated the barriers and facilitators to accessing early intervention from the perspective of parents of children who did not receive services by 6 months CGA.

Research

Resilience and mental health among care leavers: Role of social inclusion, self-determination, and independent living skills

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OHC) frequently experience poor mental health and resilience due to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). However, there is limited understanding of the factors that mediate and moderate these outcomes. This is the first study to integrate linked administrative and longitudinal data to examine the mediation and moderation effects of placement stability, independent living skills (ILS), social inclusion, and self-determination when examining the association between ACEs and care status on mental health and resilience.