A 16-month study of participatory community singing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander choirs throughout Queensland has shown significant improvements in mental health.
Loneliness and social isolation eased as a result of community singing, while one participant described how the project enabled her to grieve for the loss of her sister. Another participant lost 33kg after she got involved in the project.
Research studies show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a much greater burden of mental illness and chronic disease than other Australians.
“There is a gap in services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffering from mental illness and social isolation,” Dr Jing Sun (pictured) from Griffith University’s School of Public Health said.
The benefits of community singing also included the development of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills through new friendships, gains in confidence and improved social wellbeing.
Most participants including people with diabetes, asthma, bronchitis and blood pressure concerns reported notable improvements to their mental and physical health. Two-thirds of participants said singing helped to put worries out of their minds, while 77 per cent said it helped give them a positive attitude to life.
“Being involved with the choirs can also improve their access to and use of Aboriginal community controlled health services.
“Community choirs represent a culturally appropriate means of improving their mental health, emotional wellbeing and social inclusion.”
The preliminary findings of the Griffith University research project also show a 20 per cent decrease in smoking among participants, while more than 80 per cent of 270 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants said singing really helped their general wellbeing.
Six communities in Southeast Queensland are taking part in the project, including Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Dalby, Ipswich, Warwick and Brisbane. A further three communities from Cairns, Mackay and Hope Vale in northern Queensland are involved.
“We had a mixture of urban, rural and remote Aboriginal communities,” said Dr Sun who led a team of Griffith University researchers.
“We also found that people involved in community choirs used less medication after singing activities compared to previously.”
Following clear improvements in the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of participants, the research showed a clear association between group singing and improved practices in prevention and management of chronic diseases.
The prevalence of risk factors associated with chronic disease, including mental illness, rated at 89 per cent among participants at the outset.
The project is jointly funded by Griffith University and the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council, Wochopperen Health Services, Apunipima Cape York Health Council and Aboriginal and Islanders Community Health Services Mackay Ltd.
Other community controlled health services including Kambu Medical Service Centre Pty Ltd, Kalwun Health Service, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane Ltd, Goolburri Health Advancement Corporation, Goondir Health Services, and Warwick Community Group, contributed through in-kind support by providing staff to manage the project at community level.
Next time you drive along a smooth road in Southeast Queensland spare a
moment to thank a team of award-winning Griffith University researchers.
They have been working alongside state and local governments for the last 10 years to work out the best way to manage the maintenance of the road networks.
Their research has paved the way for better roads in SEQ.
And now that work has been formally recognised with the Griffith team among the winners at an awards night held by the Institute of Public Work Engineering Australia, Queensland Division (IPWEAQ).
As part of the Road Research Alliance (RRA), the team conducted a long-term pavement performance study in Southeast Queensland which took the 2011 Excellence Award for Innovation from the Institute.
The RRA has researched reasons why roads deteriorate in SEQ and come up with innovative ways to make councils’ budgets and maintenance schedules most effective.
The members of the RRA consist of the Griffith University Pavement Research Group, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads – South Coast and Brisbane Metropolitan Regions, Gold Coast City Council, Redland City Council
and Logan City Council.
The research looked at various factors, including the environmental impacts that
affected “pavement performance” in the long-term. This research has led to improvements and timely identification of road sections which require rehabilitation.
“One of the major research outcomes was the use of optimised work programs which help improve the condition of the road network for any given budget thereby enhancing the management of the road pavement asset,” said Dr Gary Chai
from Griffith’s Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Management and RRA
team leader.
“The award is a major milestone for the Alliance and recognises the project’s
implementation, excellence in innovation, commitment to sustainable practices
and promotion of environmental principles.
“I am pleased to see that the project has contributed positively to the members of
the Alliance and the engineering community in Southeast Queensland.”
Program director for the research, Professor Yew-Chaye Loo, said: “Civil Engineering research at Griffith has changed in emphasis over the past decade from such solid and rigorous work as structural engineering and applied mechanics to infrastructure asset management. This has helped research in this
mature discipline.
“This ongoing research is most relevant to SEQ, hence, the enthusiastic support
we have received from the local and state authorities of the region with their large
and continuous grants.”
The development of a new drug to be used in the war against antibiotic-resistant
infections is the expected outcome following a collaboration between a pharmaceutical company, Creative Antibiotics Sweden AB and a leading Griffith University Institute.
The new compound, called INP11252 has been identified after a screening project by Griffith’s Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies and has been licensed to Creative Antibiotics for further development.
INP11252 disables certain bacteria but does not kill them. Termed a “virulence blocker,” the
compound disarms the harmful bacteria for the body’s natural defences to clear the infection.
This could reduce the risk of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics.
To date, severe clinical problems have arisen from the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria to all commercially available antibiotics. The lack of new antibacterial agents to challenge this threat is global, and the demand for new antibiotics is high.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the target of INP11252, is one of the most challenging bacteria to beat. It can cause severe infections in the urinary tract and deep burn wounds and is harmful for cystic fibrosis patients.
The Eskitis Institute will produce more of INP11252 by extracting it from raw plant
material from Papua New Guinea, supplied through established contacts. It will beused for further studies of its anti-virulent effects in animals, in preparation for safety studies and clinical trials in humans.
“Resistance to antibiotics is on the rise and there are very few antibiotics against
certain harmful bacteria currently in the production pipeline,” said Dr Stuart
Newman, Strategic Development Manager for the Eskitis Institute.
“Unfortunately,the antibiotics that we do have are becoming less effective against infections. This collaboration will eventually allow Creative Antibiotics to develop a new drug to
combat these infections.”
In order to maintain the current critical supply of INP11252, Creative Antibiotics is
funding a post doctoral scientist at the Eskitis Institute for one year. This scientist
will be dedicated to the industry project to isolate more of this important compound.
Eskitis Director Professor Ron Quinn said he was very pleased a compound discovered by the Eskitis Institute had been selected for development by Creative Antibiotics.
“This compound was discovered by screening the Institute’s ‘Nature Bank’, which was originally established in a collaboration with AstraZeneca and has since been refined to provide more than 200,000 lead-like enhanced fractions.
“Nature has provided many of today’s therapeutics and we are hopeful that this compound can be developed into a new useful antibiotic drug.”
Final year medicine student Nick Cocks has the honour of carrying the Book of Remembrance at the third annual Griffith University thanksgiving service this Thursday (Oct 13), and the occasion is not lost on him.
The Book of Remembrance contains the names of 75 people who have bequeathed their bodies to Griffith University for anatomy teaching and research since the program started in 2006.
These people and other unnamed donors will be remembered at a memorial service at the Gold Coast Arts Centre, starting at 6pm on Thursday.
“I’ve been able to learn so well because of those who have donated their bodies,” Nick said.
Nick and his medical peers have already reaped vital education benefits from the body donation program, and he feels like he has a head start toward a career in surgery.
“Compared to reading a textbook, I’ve got much more of a real-life education,” he said.
“We can learn the names and locations of different body parts from textbooks, but knowing how these parts differ from person to person is something that cannot be learned from a textbook.
“It’s hard to know from a textbook how thick skin is or how deep a layer of tissue is but having this kind of hands-on experience is so important. I’m now confident assisting in surgery because of my laboratory experiences with 3D specimens.
“I am eternally grateful to the people who have donated their bodies. Hopefully my work in the future can do justice to their extraordinary and generous decisions.”
The service will start with a procession of students, academics and invited guests, led by Nick Cocks carrying the Book of Remembrance.
As part of the service, a minute’s silence will follow the reading of the donors’ names.
Head of the School of Anatomy, Professor Mark Forwood (pictured) said the program supports the education of health students in disciplines such as medicine, medical science, pharmacy, physiotherapy, exercise science, dentistry and oral health.
“Body donations from the local community are vitally important so our health students can receive practical training in human anatomy,” he said.
“The generosity of body donors, our state-of the-art anatomy facilities, and committed teachers ensure our students receive the very best preparation for their chosen careers.”
Over 1000 Griffith University first year students use the facility every year.
“We are very appreciative of the decisions made by these donors and the support shown by their families. This Thanksgiving Service is a public demonstration of that appreciation,” Professor Forwood said.
For more information about Griffith’s Body Bequest Program, telephone 07 5552 7700
or email [email protected]
Indonesia should be able to exercise its sovereign right to law enforcement without a public outcry by neighbouring states, according to cross-border policing expert Dr Saskia Hufnagel.
Dr Hufnagel from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security at Griffith University said last week’s arrest of a 14-year-old Australian boy should come as no surprise.
“It is important, however, to ensure the boy is held under conditions that respect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and that Indonesia’s international human rights norms are respected,” she said.
“But Australians who travel to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, should be aware from recent prominent cases such as Schapelle Corby and the Bali Nine that they deal with drug offences differently to Australia,” she said.
“However, this does not deter people from committing drug offences in these jurisdictions and when caught, feigning surprise at the consequences.
“In the past decade there have been numerous cases capturing media attention which should make it clear that committing even minor drug offences in Indonesia has much harsher consequences than in Australia.”
She said while human rights violations should not be overlooked they did not seem to be the main issue in this case.
“Wherever countries in a region have different legal systems, laws and policies, problems are going to arise. In the current case problems also include the treatment of juvenile offenders and related trial rights.
“But rather than criticising the Indonesian system, it would be more beneficial to discuss how these cases should be dealt with generally and create a common understanding for Australian versus Indonesian drug policies, law enforcement priorities and the legal and justice systems.”
Dr Hufnagel said such problems were not contained to the Asia Pacific region, citing European states bordering the Netherlands which had significantly different legal systems, more relaxed drug laws and drug law enforcement policies.
“An important step in dealing with the challenges in the European region has been to create dialogue and understanding between the countries.
“But, understanding of different laws such as drug offences will only happen if neighbouring states enter into dialogue to lead to an accepted solution.”
Dr Hufnagel is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security. She completed her PhD at ANU and taught courses in the field of comparative, criminal and EU law at the ANU College of Law and the ANU Centre for European Studies.
Griffith University is one of only two universities in South East Queensland to make all three of the world’s most prominent university ranking indices: the ARWU/Shanghai Jiao Tong Index, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings.
The release today of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has cemented Griffith’s reputation as a leading teaching and research university, coming in the world top 400 (top four per cent of universities) and equal 15th in Australia.
Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor said the University was very proud of taking its place among the world’s best universities on all three major rankings.
“Each index uses different criteria and different methodology, so to make all three demonstrates that the University is consistently achieving world standing in measures of research, teaching and learning, internationalisation and knowledge transfer,” he said.
In August the University was placed in the world top 500 universities ranked by the Academic Ranking of World Universities/Shanghai Jiao Tong Index, and in the QS Top 400 announced earlier in the year. It ranked seventh in Australia and 30th in the Asia-Pacific region in the prestigious Nature Publishing Index 2010.
“These are all recognised measures of global achievement and a tribute to a broad-based, overall effort on the part of our world-class teachers and researchers,” Professor O’Connor said.
“The University is home to some of Australia’s brightest minds and provides an excellent research environment for research students and researchers.”
“Prominent representation on all major listings enables the University to engage at a higher level in international collaborative research arrangements and for recruitment of academic staff and international students, especially at the doctoral level.”
Dr Scott Dowman presents ‘Using documentaries for Development: The Role of Media-Based Interventions in Combating Human Exploitation in Thailand’.
This podcast is approximately 30 minutes long.
A group of Griffith University education students are spreading the literacy message by donating books to Indigenous communities in remote areas.
As part of their Indigenous Studies course, the third-year students decided to turn their learning into community-based action by organising their own “Share-a-book Project”.
They are asking for donations of good quality second-hand, or new, children’s and early teens books to distribute to children in remote communities.
Lecturer Dr Jayne Keogh said the initiative reinforced the importance of improving literacy in these areas.
“Naplan data has show that by Year 7 the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students is roughly five years — in both writing and language skills, and remote communities are three to eight years behind national state and territory assessments,” Dr Keogh said.
It was this gap that led to the project evolving.
Group spokesperson Christine Reid said they wanted to help reduce the literacy disparity between Indigenous children in remote communities and non-Indigenous children in more urban areas.
“Many people in these communities don’t have a lot of money to spend on books, so if children are able to take the books home to keep, they can also share them with friends and family,” she said.
“We hope to make a real impact on these children’s lives so they can develop a love of reading and be immersed in the written word.”
What started as a classroom project, through word of mouth, has grown to university-wide and beyond with a Facebook page and blog.
Donations have come from local child care centres as well as various Gold Coast businesses.
“We have about three hundred books so far but are hoping to have about two to three thousand by the end of the October.”
“If people don’t have books to give, but still want to contribute, they can make a gold coin donation and we will purchase books on their behalf.”
“We are also encouraging people to make their gift personal by filling out a book label we can provide. These will be placed inside the books to let the reader know who donated it, and to show that someone outside of their community cares enough to share the joy of reading.”
The students plan to take the books to the remote communities themselves at the end of the semester.
Follow the project’s progress at: http://shareabookproject.blogspot.com/. People can donate books by dropping them off at the Gold Coast campus in a locked drop-box on level 2 in G30, or by emailing: mailto:[email protected] to arrange collection.
The Gold Coast region’s premier rowing event — the Griffith University Paradise Regatta — will be held on the Nerang River at Budd’s Beach on Saturday, October 8.
Now in its fifth year, the regatta was the brainchild of then-second year Griffith dentistry student and World University rowing champion David Houston.
Griffith University Surfers Paradise Rowing Club (GUSPRC) Head Coach Gordon Cameron said the regatta initially ran over a 3km winding course and attracted school, corporate and elite crews who raced in eights only. Dragon boat racing was added in 2009.
“Last year the event evolved into a Royal Henley-style match-racing format of just two crews in each race, run over a fast 500m sprint course,” Gordon said.
“The event drew crews from all over Australia and New Zealand and included Masters Racing for the first time.
“This year will see further refinements, notably the extension of the University Challenge (between Griffith University and University of Queensland) to include a women’s eight.
“The Griffith women’s eight — made up of past and present students — is looking very fast and will be very competitive.
“The men’s eight is a little lighter in terms of weight this year and will have to use high rate (strokes per minute) to beat the more powerful UQ crew, which boasts past Olympians and present Australian representative oarsmen.
“Thanks to the sponsorship of Swift Rowing Australia there will also be a fascinating all-comers handicap single scull race aptly named ‘The Swiftest Sculler in Paradise’.
“This race has attracted more than 40 entries including several ex-Olympians and current national sculling medallists. All are seeking the rich prize of a new set of sculling blades valued at $800, $200 in prize money plus a gold medal and a trophy.
“The random draw for this event will allow some younger rowers the opportunity to race against their heroes of the sport — with a suitable handicap start.”
The Paradise Regatta now attracts about 350 competitors, offers $4000 in prize money, and attracts a large chunk of Australia’s 30,000 paddling sports tourists.
Gordon said the regatta presented the University’s sporting face to the Gold Coast and beyond, and honoured the traditions of great university boat races such as the Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames.
“Rowing is now talked about on the Gold Coast and at Griffith and, perhaps more importantly, Griffith University rowing is becoming recognised in Queensland and in Australia as a new force in a sport which places us in the top three in the world at international and Olympic levels.”
The Griffith University Paradise Regatta will kick off at 8am and will conclude with presentations at 3pm, with most of the finals and the two Challenge eights held after lunch.
Gordon said there would be food, drinks, picnic facilities and entertainment available for the whole family, with a race coming down the river every five minutes.
Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor said the University was a proud sponsor of the event, which had many benefits for the Gold Coast.
“We look forward to a great day out on the river for the Gold Coast community to enjoy,” Professor O’Connor said.
A group of Griffith University education students is spreading the literacy message by donating books to Indigenous communities in remote areas. Their ___Share-a-book Project___ is the subject of this edition’s feature.
Visit the [http://app.griffith.edu.au/03/griffith-news-now/|GNN website].
