Eating an unhealthy diet is a leading risk factor for chronic diseases worldwide. Innovative new programs to improve the diet of millions of Australians at high risk of heart disease, such as those with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes (T2D), have tremendous potential to save lives and reduce healthcare costs. 

Background Despite free treatment offered by the government, the private sector plays a significant role in Tuberculosis (TB) treatment in India. The reasons for availing private facilities are dissatisfaction with public sector services, non-availability of public facilities in the neighbourhood, long waiting time etc. A literature review identified that only three studies (covered total of 102 patients) estimated the cost for the TB patients treated in the private sector. Two studies considered only multi-drug resistant TB patients, the third one collected out of pocket expenses data from a convenient sample of 32 drug susceptible TB patients. Therefore, there is a clear dearth of data on the economic burden of TB in the private sector in India. Aim The national strategic plan for TB (2017-2025) stated its intention to extend the umbrella of high-quality TB care and control to those treated in the private sector, highlighting private sector engagement (PPE) as an important strategy to eliminate TB.

Background The Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030 is a global movement advancing citizen engagement, mobilising collective action and political commitment, and is acting as a platform to forge greater collaborations globally for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). With this mandate, the CSEM is interested in understanding lessons in social and community participation in health in various contexts across the world. India has globally been among the champions of community participation in health inspiring global commitments on health equity such as the Alma Ata Declaration on Health for All. The public mobilisation on the Health for All agenda in 2000 by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) is a watershed in the history of social movements in India. The advocacy efforts of the JSA, Medico Friends Circle and a range of individuals and collectives from the civil society influenced the emergence and evolution of India’s National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005. The NRHM is notable on account of nationally

Background Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease, with an estimated 138,000 deaths in a year globally, most of it in South Asia and Africa. In 2018, 31 countries unanimously passed a resolution to develop a roadmap to address the burden of snakebite in the 71st World Health Assembly. Consequently in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a strategy to address snakebite and bring down its burden to 50% by 2030. The prioritisation of snakebite as a global health issue in the WHO is expected to lead to development of national and regional-level strategies as well as provision of funding across the world. However there is no research to understand how and why snakebite was prioritised in the WHO. Aim To understand how and why did snakebite became a priority in WHO leading to the development of the 71st WHA resolution to develop a roadmap to address its burden in 2018 and the subsequent development of the strategy in 2019? Research Methodology The study will use a case-study approac

Background Snakebite is a public health problem in South Asia, Africa and South America, leading to at least 138,000 deaths and 8,076,000 disability-adjusted life years, being lost every year. A lot of focus of research on snakebite is focussed on anti-venom with other adjunct therapies mostly neglected. Wound infections in snakebite patients are an important problem for clinicians with some studies reporting infection rates up to 70%. There is considerable clinical equipoise on the routing use of antibiotics for preventing infection in snakebite wounds. While some clinical practice guidelines (of poor quality) recommend against using antibiotics routinely, many clinicians continue to use it prophylactically citing concerns about infection. An overview of systematic review conducted by researchers in The George Institute for Global Health, India and published in 2020 in PloS Neglected Tropical Diseases found that there are systematic reviews on wound infections for snakebite. Aim To assess the effect

Background When used correctly, child car restraint systems are highly effective in reducing death and injury among children involved in car crashes.1 However, incorrect use of restraints is a widespread and long-standing unsolved problem affecting more than 50% of children travelling in cars.2 To date, work has focused on ensuring correct use of child restraints at the time of installation. However, ongoing information is required to ensure children are correctly restrained as they grow, as the type of restraint used changes. This study will explore the skills, knowledge, and motivation that parents require in the on-going correct use of child restraints. 1. Du W, Finch CF, Hayen A, Bilston L, Brown J, Hatfield J. Relative benefits of population-level interventions targeting restraint-use in child car passengers. Pediatrics. 2010;125(2):304-12. 2. Brown J, Hatfield J, Du W, Finch CF, Bilston LE. The characteristics of incorrect restraint use among children traveling in cars. Traffic Injury Preventi

Background When used correctly, child car restraint systems are highly effective in reducing death and injury among children involved in car crashes.1 However, incorrect use of restraints is a widespread and long-standing unsolved problem affecting more than 50% of children travelling in cars.2 Ongoing correct use requires caregivers to correctly install the restraint in every vehicle in which the child travels, and ensure the child is correctly secured within the restraint on every trip. This impacts every child in Australia, who by law must use a dedicated restraint at least until age 7. For children ≥7 years, parents can choose the Australian Standard-certified restraint that best suits their child, such as seat belts or a booster seat. To date, work has focused on ensuring correct use of child restraints at the time of installation. However, ongoing information is required to ensure children are correctly restrained as they grow, as the type of restraint used changes. These include challenges ensu

Background When used correctly, child car restraint systems are highly effective in reducing death and injury among children involved in car crashes.1 However, incorrect use of restraints is a widespread and long-standing unsolved problem affecting more than 50% of children travelling in cars.2 To date, work has focused on ensuring correct use of child restraints at the time of installation. This study will compare how different types of product information impact correct use of child car seats. 1. Du W, Finch CF, Hayen A, Bilston L, Brown J, Hatfield J. Relative benefits of population-level interventions targeting restraint-use in child car passengers. Pediatrics. 2010;125(2):304-12. 2. Brown J, Hatfield J, Du W, Finch CF, Bilston LE. The characteristics of incorrect restraint use among children traveling in cars. Traffic Injury Prevention. 2010 11(4):391-8 Aim This research aims to examine the effectiveness of new guidelines developed by child car seat manufactures (based off consumer design

Background Evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is vital for enabling healthcare providers and policymakers to make informed decisions about healthcare. RCTs are considered the ‘gold standard’ for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions because they represent the highest level of evidence due to the ability to control bias at multiple levels. The applicability and generalisability of evidence generated in other parts of the world to India has limitations. As such high quality RCTs are required to improve clinical care and build a culture of evidence-based medicines. With resources being limited there is a need to prioritise funding decisions. To inform research prioritisation and science policy related to clinical trials there is a need to understand the landscape of existing randomised controlled trials. Aim To systematically map randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from India Method We will identify published RCTs conducted among Indians, irrespective of the type of i

Background Sharing of clinical trial data to improve transparency and enable data re-analysis is on the rise globally. Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis offers an enhanced scope of in-depth analysis, including but not limited to understand how participant-level covariates might affect treatment effects. A key challenge for evidence synthesis specialists conducting IPD meta-analysis is the availability of de-identified participant-level data from clinical trials. Aim To examine how information on individual participant data availability is captured in different clinical trial registries To analyse the intent of individual participant data sharing in records from clinical trial registries Research Methodology We will search for and analyse data related to individual participant data availability in clinical trial registries. Potential Impact The results of the meta-research project will offer information to inform policies to inform the availability of individual partic