BackgroundLeading international scientific organisations and national governments worldwide recognise that reducing population sodium intake is a key priority to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases.Reducing sodium consumption is particularly important for low- and middle-income countries as the burden of excess sodium intake is disproportionately severe due to limited access to health resources and effective treatments. Marginalised and underserved communities also face heightened risks because of dietary, economic, and systemic challenges, exacerbating their health disparities.Despite global efforts to reduce salt intakes, progress has been slow due to a lack of practical interventions.Switching regular salt to potassium-enriched salt is likely to be the most effective solution based on a growing body of evidence:Salt Substitute in India Study (SSiIS) – A randomised controlled trialChina Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS)AimTo generate evidence for and scale up the switch to potassium-enrich

Background Fijians experience alarming trend in deaths from heart disease before the age of 70. According to the World Health Organization data from 2017, Fiji ranked 39 out of 183 countries in the world in fatalities from heart disease. Fiji conducted the WHO STEPS survey for surveillance of major NCD risk factors in 2002 and 2011 and found significant increases in risk factors contributing to CVD: high blood pressure, high fasting blood glucose and obesity. Pacific Forum Leaders declaring the situation a “human, social and economic crisis”. The WHO PEN program is a set of low-cost tools to prevent the risk of chronic disease (e.g. lifestyle counselling, monitoring and control of blood pressure and blood glucose, and treatment). Aims In 2012, the Western Pacific WHO commenced implementation of PEN protocols 1 and 2 for prevention of CVD and diabetes. The overall aim is to provide evidence on 1) implementation fidelity, (2) processes of adoption of the PEN program by healthcare pr

Background:Globally, nearly 9 million injuries and ~180,000 deaths occur annually due to burns, with the majority occurring in low-and middle-income countries. Almost two-thirds of burn injuries occur in Africa and South-East Asia. Young children are disproportionally affected with under 5-year-olds in the African region having an incidence of burn deaths of over double the global rate. Burn injuries are particularly problematic in urban slum communities such as Kisenyi, where our recent work revealed an extremely high incidence (32%) of burns in children under the age of 5.Current first aid responses frequently involve home remedies such as applying cooking oil and sugar, eggs and other food materials, commercial creams, toothpaste, soap and traditional medicines including mixtures of urine, mud and cow dung. Yet best practice involves simply cooling the burn with water. Additionally, research shows carers are often reluctant to seek formal medical care – a key factor in poor outcomes for children with bur

Background There is a long-standing assumption that medicine, and the research underpinning medical interventions, is sex and gender neutral, however there is a growing body of evidence describing sex and gender differences in disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and health outcomes. Despite this, much research continues to be done without taking sex and gender into account, leading to gaps in the evidence base informing our health care policy and practice Aims To address gaps in the collection, analysis and reporting of sex and gender in health and medical research in Australia. To build capacity among researchers, scientists and clinicians, and drive change in this area Method The project involves three phases: Surveys, interviews, web-based searches; Development and evaluation of policy frameworks and training materials; and Health economic analysis. Potential Impact Each stakeholder within the health and medical research sector in Australia encourages