Cost savings of reducing opioid prescribing for the treatment of people with low back pain in general practice: a modelling study.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Contrary to clinical guidelines, opioids are frequently prescribed early in the management of LBP in primary care, leading to potential harm and downstream healthcare costs. The objective of this study was to model the one-year impacts of strategies that reduce opioid prescribing for low back pain (LBP) in primary care on healthcare costs and overdose deaths Australia-wide and explore the potential for such strategies to be cost-neutral.

The effects of duration of any breastfeeding on body mass index in Australian children: Exploration of health, economic and equity impacts.

Background: Breastfeeding is a protective measure against childhood overweight and obesity. However, many children are not breastfed the recommended duration, with those from disadvantaged backgrounds more likely to cease breastfeeding early.

Objectives: Investigate the association between duration of any breastfeeding and body mass index (BMI) and estimate the health, economic and equity impacts of increasing breastfeeding duration to at least 6 months.

Engaging With Health Consumers in Scientific Conferences-As Partners not Bystanders.

Introduction: It is now widely recognised that engaging consumers in research activities can enhance the quality, equity and relevance of the research. Much of the commentary about consumer engagement in research focuses on research processes and implementation, rather than dissemination in conference settings. This article offers reflections and learnings from consumers, researchers and conference organisers on the 12th Health Services Research Conference, a biennial conference hosted by the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ).

Differences in weight status among Australian children and adolescents from priority populations: a longitudinal study.

Background And Significance: Australia has a high level of cultural and linguistic diversity, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Children from specific cultural and ethnic groups may be at greater risk of overweight and obesity and may bear the additional risk of socioeconomic disadvantage. Our aim was to identify differences in body-mass index z-score (zBMI) by: (1) Cultural and ethnic groups and; (2) Socioeconomic position (SEP), during childhood and adolescence.

Psychometric Evaluation of the PedsQL GCS and CHU9D in Australian Children and Adolescents with Common Chronic Health Conditions.

Background: Generic instruments such as the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ v4.0 Generic Core Scales (PedsQL GCS) and Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D) are widely used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of the general childhood population, but there is a paucity of information about their psychometric properties in children with specific health conditions. This study assessed psychometric properties, including acceptability, reliability, validity, and responsiveness, of the PedsQL GCS and the CHU9D in children and adolescents with a range of common chronic health problems.

Modelled Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Childhood Obesity Interventions: A Demonstration.

Objective: To demonstrate how distributional cost-effectiveness analyses of childhood obesity interventions could be conducted and presented for decision makers.

Methods: We conducted modelled distributional cost-effectiveness analyses of three obesity interventions in children: an infant sleep intervention (POI-Sleep), a combined infant sleep, food, activity and breastfeeding intervention (POI-Combo) and a clinician-led treatment for primary school-aged children with overweight and obesity (High Five for Kids). For each intervention, costs and socioeconomic position (SEP)-specific effect sizes were applied to an Australian child cohort (n = 4898).

Economic evaluation of a mobile phone text-message intervention for Australian adults with type 2 diabetes.

Background: The rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Australia is a public health concern, contributing to significant disease burden and economic costs. Text-message programs have been shown to improve health outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes, however they remain underutilized, and no evidence exists on their cost-effectiveness or costs of scale up to a population level in Australia. This study aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of a 6-month text-message intervention (DTEXT) to improve glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and self-management behaviors for Australian adults with type 2 diabetes.

Reliability, acceptability, validity and responsiveness of the CHU9D and PedsQL in the measurement of quality of life in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Background: The Paediatric Quality of life Inventory (PedsQL) Generic Core Scales and the Child Health Utilities 9 Dimensions (CHU9D) are two paediatric health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures commonly used in overweight and obesity research. However, no studies have comprehensively established the psychometric properties of these instruments in the context of paediatric overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability, acceptability, validity and responsiveness of the PedsQL and the CHU9D in the measurement of HRQoL among children and adolescents living with overweight and obesity.

Primary school mobile dental program in New South Wales, Australia: protocol for the evaluation of a state government oral health initiative.

Background: Socioeconomically disadvantaged children are disproportionately affected by oral disease. Mobile dental services help underserved communities overcome barriers to accessing health care, including time, geography, and trust. The NSW Health Primary School Mobile Dental Program (PSMDP) is designed to provide diagnostic and preventive dental services to children at their schools.

Is the cost-effectiveness of an early-childhood sleep intervention to prevent obesity affected by socioeconomic position?

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the cost-effectiveness of an infant sleep intervention from the Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) trial was influenced by socioeconomic position (SEP).

Methods: An SEP-specific economic evaluation of the sleep intervention was conducted. SEP-specific intervention costs and effects at age 5 years, derived from the trial data, were applied to a representative cohort of 4,898 4- to 5-year-old Australian children.

Economic evaluation of the Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone trial for early childhood obesity prevention.

Objective: This study aimed to conduct an economic evaluation of the Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone (CHAT) trial to prevent childhood obesity.

Methods: Cost-effectiveness analyses were conducted for the telephone and short message service (SMS) delivery of Healthy Beginnings advice, compared with usual care, which included child health services unrelated to Healthy Beginnings. Costs were valued in 2018 Australian dollars, and costs and outcomes were discounted at 5% per year.

Cost-effectiveness of scaling up a whole-of-community intervention: The Romp & Chomp early childhood obesity prevention intervention.

Background: Given the high prevalence of early childhood overweight and obesity, more evidence is required to better understand the cost-effectiveness of community-wide interventions targeting obesity prevention in children aged 0-5 years.

Objectives: To assess the cost-effectiveness of the Romp & Chomp community-wide early childhood obesity prevention intervention if delivered across Australia in 2018 from a funder perspective, against a no-intervention comparator.

Methods: Intervention costs were estimated in 2018 Australian dollars.

Investigating socioeconomic inequalities in BMI growth rates during childhood and adolescence.

Background: Many countries report socioeconomic inequalities in childhood obesity, but when they develop is not well-characterised. Studies rarely isolate BMI growth rates from overall BMI, perhaps overlooking an important precursor to the observed inequalities in obesity. The objective of this study was to determine the age at which inequalities in BMI growth rates develop in children and whether they are similar across the BMI spectrum.

Relationship between obesity and school absenteeism in Australian children: Implications for carer productivity.

Background: Economic evaluations of childhood obesity interventions are often used to assist decision making when presented with alternative course of action. Including indirect costs related to productivity losses is recommended; in children this would include school absenteeism. Our aim was to determine the association between school absenteeism and weight status among Australian children and estimate the indirect costs of this.

Utility Decrements Associated with Adult Overweight and Obesity in Australia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of health state utility decrements associated with overweight and obesity in adults 18 years and over, for use in modelled economic evaluations in Australia.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in nine databases to identify studies that reported health state utility values by weight status. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to synthesise average utility decrements (from healthy weight) associated with overweight, all obesity and obesity classes 1, 2 and 3.

Looking backwards and forwards: tracking and persistence of weight status between early childhood and adolescence.

Background/objective: Many studies have shown that child BMI or weight status tracks over time, but the demographic predictors of high tracking have not been investigated. Our objective was to identify demographic predictors of persistence (duration) of healthy weight and overweight/obesity throughout childhood, and to examine whether tracking was age dependent.

Methods: We conducted secondary data analysis of 4606 children from the Birth cohort and 4983 children from the Kindergarten cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children with follow-up to age 12/13 and 16/17 years, respectively.

Weight status and health-related quality of life during childhood and adolescence: effects of age and socioeconomic position.

Background: Overweight and obesity in children is associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but the nuances of this relationship across different age and socio-demographic groups are not well-established. The aim of this study is to examine how the association between weight status and HRQoL changes with age and socioeconomic position (SEP) throughout childhood and adolescence.

Methods: We used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), a cohort study in which children were interviewed biennially from ages 4 to 17 years over seven waves of data.

Estimating Age- and Sex-Specific Utility Values from the CHU9D Associated with Child and Adolescent BMI z-Score.

Objective: Our objective was to identify age- and sex-specific utilities for children and adolescents by body mass index (BMI) z-score.

Methods: We used data from 6822 participants and 12,094 observations from two cohorts and two waves of interviews from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. We fit linear models using generalised estimating equations to investigate associations between Child Health Utility 9D and BMI z-score in girls and boys aged 10-17 years.

Socioeconomic inequalities in obesity: modelling future trends in Australia.

Objectives: To develop a model to predict future socioeconomic inequalities in body mass index (BMI) and obesity.

Design: Microsimulation modelling using BMI data from adult participants of Australian Health Surveys, and published data on the relative risk of mortality in relation to BMI and socioeconomic position (SEP), based on education.

Setting: Australia.

Impact of overweight, obesity and severe obesity on life expectancy of Australian adults.

Background/objectives: Adult obesity has been shown to substantially heighten the risk of adverse health outcomes but its impact on life expectancy (LE) has not been quantified in Australia. Our aim is to estimate reductions in LE and years of life lost (YLL) associated with overweight and obesity, relative to those at a healthy weight for Australian adults aged 20-69 years.

Subjects/methods: We used a microsimulation model of obesity progression in Australia that integrates annual change in BMI based on age and sex, with Australian life-table data and published relative risk of all-cause mortality for different BMI categories.

A Common Cancer Risk-Associated Allele in the hTERT Locus Encodes a Dominant Negative Inhibitor of Telomerase.

The TERT-CLPTM1L region of chromosome 5p15.33 is a multi-cancer susceptibility locus that encodes the reverse transcriptase subunit, hTERT, of the telomerase enzyme. Numerous cancer-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including rs10069690, have been identified within the hTERT gene.

Working memory in children with sleep-disordered breathing: objective versus subjective measures.

Background: Parents consistently report working memory deficits in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB); however, results from objective testing measures are inconsistent. This study aims to examine and compare working memory performance in children with various degrees of severity of SDB using both parent report and objective testing.

Methods: Subjects included 127 children aged 7-12 years (mean age 9.

Cognitive and academic functions are impaired in children with all severities of sleep-disordered breathing.

Study Objective: The impact of the broad spectrum of SDB severity on cognition in childhood has not been well studied. This study investigated cognitive function in children with varying severities of SDB and control children with no history of SDB.

Methods: One hundred thirty-seven children (75 M) aged 7-12 were studied.

Neurobehavioral function is impaired in children with all severities of sleep disordered breathing.

Objective: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in children and ranges in severity from primary snoring (PS), to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). This study investigated everyday function (behavior, attention, executive skills) in children with varying degrees of SDB and control children with no history of SDB recruited from the community.

Methods: One hundred thirty-six children aged 7-12 were studied.