Following the introduction of jurisdictional maternal pertussis vaccination programs in Australia, we estimated maternal vaccine effectiveness (VE) and whether maternal pertussis vaccination modified the effectiveness of the first 3 primary doses of pertussis-containing vaccines. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• November 2023

Half of all pregnancies at risk of malaria worldwide occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax co-exist. Despite substantial reductions in transmission, malaria remains an important cause of adverse health outcomes for mothers and offspring, including pre-eclampsia. Malaria transmission is heterogeneous, and infections are commonly subpatent and asymptomatic. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• November 2023

Fidgety movements occur in infants between the age of 9 to 20 weeks post-term, and their absence are a strong indicator that an infant has cerebral palsy. Prechtl's General Movement Assessment method evaluates whether an infant has fidgety movements, but requires a trained expert to conduct it. Timely evaluation facilitates early interventions, and thus computer-based methods have been developed to aid domain experts.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

The association between early-life respiratory syncytial virus infections and later respiratory morbidity is well established. However, there is limited evidence on factors that influence this risk. We examined sociodemographic and perinatal factors associated with later childhood respiratory morbidity requiring secondary care following exposure to a laboratory-confirmed RSV episode in the first 2 years. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Family-based lifestyle interventions for children/adolescents with severe levels of obesity are numerous, but evidence indicates programs fail to elicit short- or longer-term weight loss outcomes. Families with lived experience can provide valuable insight as we strive to improve outcomes from programs. Our aim was to explore elements that families desired in a program designed to treat severe levels of obesity in young people. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Health outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples are very poor. This is considerably worse in remote regions. The East Pilbara, where the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the Martu and Nyiyaparli people reside, is one such remote region. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Child obesity is a serious public health challenge affected by both individual choice and societal and environmental factors. The main modifiable risk factors for child obesity are unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity, both influenced by aspects of the built environment.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

The ability for vaccines to protect against infectious diseases varies among individuals, but computational models employed to inform policy typically do not account for this variation. Here we examine this issue: we implement a model of vaccine efficacy developed in the context of SARS-CoV-2 in order to evaluate the general implications of modelling correlates of protection on the individual level. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Early-life obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) predictors are unavailable for young adults. This study identifies early-life factors predisposing young adults to OSA. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the most common form of acquired heart disease worldwide. In RHD, volume loading from mitral regurgitation leads to left ventricular (LV) dilatation, increased wall stress, and ultimately LV dysfunction. Improved understanding of LV dynamics may contribute to refined timing of intervention. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• September 2023