The health of the environment featured prominently in the headlines when the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 was held in New York last week.
Australian universities have been proactive in their own ways when it comes to furthering research in environmental science and reducing their own carbon footprint.
But what about human health?
Some universities have been making strides in developing resources and supports to improve mental health, and others helping to improve physical health. In May, Flinders University launched a five-year national campaign to encourage children to eat more vegetables.
More recently, the University of Wollongong (UOW) has funded two-health related projects as part of its Community Engagement Grant Scheme (CEGS). This year, CEGS granted $50,000 towards four new projects. The program itself has been running for more than 14 years and has spent $660,000 to fund 77 projects.
“These projects often start a lifelong collaboration towards real social change,” Dr Melissa Thompson, senior manager of UOW’s Advancement Services and Community Engagement, said.
“We are hopeful of seeing some great outcomes for the community.”
The first project, a ‘walk and talk’ intervention, seeks to lessen the prevalence of gestational diabetes, which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes for mothers and their children.
The intervention, which will come in the form of physical activities to promote a healthier lifestyle, will be held at Wollongong, Shellharbour and Shoalhaven.
Improving communication
The second project funded by UOW seeks to allow non-verbal individuals to successfully communicate with the Wollongong City Council, which plans to set up a disability-friendly playground. The project will include a training video to make it easier to include non-verbal individuals in stakeholder engagement.
Sharynne McLeod, a professor of Speech and Language Acquisition at Charles Sturt University, was recently featured in The Australian’s Research magazine for her research contributions in audiology, speech and language pathology.
Focusing on children with speech difficulties, Professor McLeod and her team encouraged families to make variations in their mode of communication, such as reading books and speaking to their children in their native languages.
She also encouraged parents and guardians to seek the help of a speech pathologist if they are concerned about their children’s speech development.
“There’s no such thing as being too young for accessing assistance with speech and language development. Quite the opposite, in fact: it can make a huge difference when they’re little,” Professor McLeod said.
In mind and body
Dr Peta Stapleton, an associate professor at Bond University, was also recognised during the 2019 Australian Allied Health Awards last weekend for her work on Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).
Also known as tapping, the patient taps themselves with two fingers as they recite a statement, a move that helps with a number of issues such as anxiety, phobias, chronic pain and even food cravings.
Her research found that the simple act of tapping has an effect in a person’s amygdala and hippocampus – the two parts of the brain which controls emotions and memory, respectively.
While tapping is mainly used for mental health issues, Dr Stapleton said it might be used as well for treating chronic pains.
“From a health issue point of view, chronic pain is the sunrise topic. It affects one in four adults and psychologists will play a significant role in future treatment,” she said.