Determinants of Child Health and development: populations, partnerships, pathways and prevention

在研究儿童和青年人复杂的健康和发展问题方面存在着相当大的挑战。尽管澳大利亚日益繁荣，但许多问题并没有减少，有些问题似乎还在增加。这些问题包括低出生体重、行为和精神健康问题、自闭症、肥胖以及土著儿童感染。该方案建议调查这些问题，以期预防，从而满足促进和保持良好健康，特别是“健康的生命开端”和“预防性保健”的国家研究优先事项。该计划的独特之处在于，它汇集了国际知名的多学科研究人员团队来研究这些复杂的问题。研究小组由流行病学家、临床医生、发展心理学家、生物统计学家、社会学家和其他社会科学家组成。该团队在产生研究成果方面有着良好的记录，这些成果已转化为创新的卫生政策和实践，涉及的领域包括：-在预防脊柱裂中使用叶酸-了解脑瘫-儿童和年轻人的自杀预防和心理健康-土著儿童的健康和发展-包括Rett综合征和自闭症在内的智力残疾-体外受精和出生缺陷。影响儿童如何成长为青年的因素包括基因遗传、营养和生长以及家庭、社会经济和环境条件。这项工作需要新的方法来衡量和分析儿童及其家庭人口中的这些因素。西澳大利亚州是世界上仅有的三个拥有关于其全体儿童及其家庭的综合关联健康数据的地点之一。该方案包括围绕这些独特的人口数据库规划的五个重叠的研究主题。这五个主题是：——对儿童健康和发展的社会、经济和心理影响————健康状况不佳的许多途径都与社会不利地位有关。研究这些问题可以解释为什么一些儿童状况正在恶化或没有改善——通往幸福、适应力和发育障碍的途径，包括智力残疾、自闭症、出生缺陷和脑瘫——营养和生长，特别是与低出生体重、儿童肥胖和心理健康有关的营养和生长——传染病；其原因及其对终身健康问题和残疾的影响-土著居民健康-虽然跨越上述每个研究主题，但它提出了自己独特的挑战，需要自己独特的解决方案。该计划将调查儿童如何成长为年轻人，并将研究他们的家庭、营养和成长以及社会经济和环境条件的影响。它将开发新的测量和分析方法

There are considerable challenges to the study of complex health and developmental problems in children and young people. Despite increasing prosperity in Australia, many of these problems are not abating and some appear to be increasing. These include low birthweight, behavioural and mental health problems, autism, obesity and, in Indigenous children, infections. This Program proposes investigating these problems with a view to prevention, thus meeting the national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health, particularly _a healthy start to life� and _preventive health care�. The Program is unique in that it brings together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers of international repute to investigate these complex issues. The research team comprises epidemiologists, clinicians, developmental psychologists, biostatisticians, sociologists and other social scientists. This team has a proven track record in producing research outcomes that have translated into innovative health policy and practice in areas as diverse as: - the use of folic acid in spina bifida prevention - understanding cerebral palsies - suicide prevention and mental health in children and young people - Aboriginal child health and development - intellectual disabilities including Rett syndrome and autism - in vitro fertilisation and birth defects. The factors influencing how children develop into young adults include genetic inheritance, nutrition and growth, and family, socioeconomic and environmental conditions. This work demands new ways of measuring and analysing these factors in populations of children and their families. Western Australia is one of only three sites in the world to have comprehensive linked health data on the whole of its population of children and their families. This Program comprises five overlapping themes of research planned around these unique population databases. The five themes are: - social, economic and psychological influences on child health and development - many paths to poor health are linked to social disadvantage. Examining these issues may explain why some childhood conditions are worsening or not improving - pathways to wellbeing, resilience and developmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism, birth defects and cerebral palsy - nutrition and growth, particularly as it relates to low birthweight, childhood obesity and mental health - infectious disease, its causes and its influence on lifelong health problems and disabilities - Aboriginal health _ whilst spanning each of the research themes above, it presents its own unique challenges and requires it�s own unique solutions. This Program will investigate how children develop into young adults and will examine the influence of their families, nutrition and growth and socioeconomic and environmental conditions. It will develop new ways of measuring and analys