Australian Rotary Health News

In episode 8, our guest Associate Professor Matthew Spittal from the University of Melbourne talks about suicide prevention research, and Professor Helen Christensen from the Black Dog Institute joins us on episode 9 to talk about the research outcomes and future directions of a web-based self-help intervention for reducing suicidal thoughts

 
Every week we release a new episode of our podcast called 'The Research Behind Lift the Lid', where we talk to researchers about their findings from research projects funded by Australian Rotary Health. 

In episode 8, our guest Associate Professor Matthew Spittal from the University of Melbourne talks about suicide prevention research, including his ARH Mental Health Research Grant project on detecting fatal and non-fatal suicide attempt clusters in young people. 
 
Click the image to watch Episode 8 with
Associate Professor Matthew Spittal on YouTube.
 
Professor Helen Christensen from the Black Dog Institute joins us on episode 9 to talk about the research outcomes and future directions of a web-based self-help intervention for reducing suicidal thoughts, after receiving a Mental Health Research Grant in 2012 from Australian Rotary Health. 
 
Click the image to watch episode 9 with Professor Helen Christensen on YouTube.
 
In case you missed them, here are all the Podcast episodes
available on PodBean:

You can also find the video versions on our YouTube channel. 

Stay tuned - episode 10 with Professor Ron Rapee from Macquarie University released on Monday! 
 
 
 

Recent Research Findings Summarised

 
 
Professor Tracey Wade and Dr Simon Wilksch from Flinders University currently have a grant with Australian Rotary Health, working on on an Australia-wide trial of ‘Media Smart Online’, an online intervention to help reduce eating disorder onset and increase eating disorder remission.
See findings below.
 
  • A new study funded by Australian Rotary Health has found that using social media may be leading young adolescents towards body image issues and eating disorder behaviours. In a recent article published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, a team of researchers at Flinders University found that out of 996 adolescents in Year 7 and Year 8, 51.7% of girls and 45% of boys had engaged in disordered eating behaviours such as skipping meals, binge eating, and strict exercise. The more time spent using image-based platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat was also associated with significantly higher disordered eating behaviours, and this risk increased when a young person had multiple social media accounts. Read more.
     
  • During her Postdoctoral Fellowship, funded by Australian Rotary Health, Dr Laura Hart has found that her Confident Body, Confident Child program for parents has a positive impact on children's negative attitudes towards body weight and positive impact on girl's self-esteem. The program is now delivered to organisations in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Norway, and may have future positive implications for preventing eating and weight disorders in children as they grow up. Read more.
  
  • In a recent study co-authored by Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship recipient Dr Nicole Reilly, it has been highlighted that while there have been some improvements over time, perinatal mental health screening is not yet universal. One‐in‐five women are not screened both antenatally and postnatally, including women in high‐risk populations such as those who have reported emotional distress. Read more.
 

1 Week Left to Support our COVID-19 Appeal

 
 
It has been such a difficult time for donations, as many Rotary Club fundraising events that would normally support Australian Rotary Health have been forced to cancel during this pandemic. It really reminds us how much effort goes into this fundraising and how valuable these events are to keep research going, and we don't take it for granted!

Although it has been hard, we have still seen many Rotarians (and members of the public as well) generously give to our COVID-19 appeal over the past few months. We have now raised $13,300 for mental health research. 

The end of financial year is fast approaching - only 7 days left! If you are in a position to help us get as close as possible to our $200,000 target, please donate today.

All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Thank you very much as always for your support!