Children and Young People's Health
Research Overview
This program aims to advance the health and wellbeing of children and young people through primary care and its integration with other health, social, workforce, and education systems that support children and young people’s wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary team works across the areas of health risk behaviour (including a specific focus on sexual and reproductive health), mental health, adverse childhood experiences, physical wellbeing, preventive health and early intervention.
Our research focuses on:
- Re-orientating primary care toward a youth friendly, preventive care model;
- Building systems that better respond to vulnerable children;
- Exploring perspectives of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and relationships;
- Using technology to detect and address health and wellbeing concerns and to improve care access; and
- Settings (education, workplaces) for promoting health and wellbeing as well as access to care.
Program Objectives
We develop and test interventions that:
- Improve the access of children, young people and their families to quality primary care and self-directed care where appropriate;
- Enable patient-centred and integrated care across primary, secondary and tertiary care systems and integrate health with education and welfare needs;
- Enable detection of health risks and appropriate therapeutic responses;
- Explore the experiences of children, young people and families with health risks and discover what they require from a responsive health care system;
- Work collaboratively with education, social sectors, government and non-government organisations including professional and community groups, children, young people and families; and
- Promote knowledge exchange through teaching and providing research evidence that informs policy and practice.
Research Themes
Childhood health and wellbeing
Childhood Adversity, Depression and Anxiety
Strengthening Care for Children
Doctors in Secondary Schools
Adolescent Health and Wellbeing
Family, Community, Culture and Country
Enhancing University Experiences
Sexual and Reproductive Health in Adolescence
Support following miscarriage
Funding
Victorian Government Department of Education and Training
National Health and Medical Research Council
Medical Research Futures Fund
Students
Dr Bianca Forrester - PhD Candidate
Doctors in Secondary Schools Program
Aims:
To provide equitable, accessible and professional primary health care services to young Victorians in secondary schools.
Objectives:
- Make primary health care more accessible to students
- Provide assistance to young people to identify and address any health problems early
reduce the pressure on working parents and community-based GPs.
How it works:
Participating medical centres nominate a GP or eligible registrar to provide medical advice and treatment to enrolled students one day every week. The service is located onsite as a ‘satellite clinic’ with the GP supported by a Practice Nurse who works closely with the school.
All participating GPs and PNs working in the DiSS program are provided with training in adolescent health delivered by The University of Melbourne, in partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital, headspace, Sexual Health Victoria, Foundation House and the Youth Support and Advocacy Service.
The DiSS program also offers GPs and PNs further RACGP-accredited training and professional development opportunities to provide youth-friendly primary health services in Victorian secondary schools.
Participating Secondary Schools
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- Bayswater Secondary College
- Boronia K-12 College
- Charles La Trobe P-12 College
- Croydon Community School
- Healesville High School
- Lalor North Secondary College
- Melba Secondary College
- Scoresby Secondary College
- Upper Yarra Secondary College
- Wallan Secondary College
- Whittlesea Secondary College
- Yarra Hills Secondary College
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- Bairnsdale Secondary College
- Drouin Secondary College
- Kurnai College
- Maffra Secondary College
- Neerim Distric Secondary College
- Sale Secondary College
- Swifts Creek P-12 School
- Traralgon College
- Warragul Regional College
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- Alexandra Secondary College
- Benalla P-12 College
- Crusoe 7-10 Secondary College
- Eaglehawk Secondary College
- Greater Shepparton Secondary College
- Irymple Secondary College
- Kerang Technical High School
- Kyneton Secondary College
- Merbein P-10 College
- Numurkah Secondary College
- Ouyen Secondary College
- Red Cliffs Secondary College
- Robinvale College
- Rutherglen High School
- Seymour College
- Swan Hill College
- Wedderburn College
- Weeroona College Bendigo
- Wodonga Middle Years College
- Wodonga Senior Secondary College
- Yarrawonga College P-12
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- Bacchus Marsh College
- Bayside P-12 College
- Braybrook College
- Copperfield College
- Craigieburn Secondary College
- Footscray High School
- Glenroy Secondary College
- Hume Central Secondary College
- Keilor Downs College
- Kurunjang Secondary College
- Laverton P-12 College
- Manor Lakes P-12 College
- Melton Secondary College
- Mount Alexander College
- Mount Ridley P-12 College
- Reservoir High School
- Roxburgh College
- St Albans Secondary College
- Sunbury College
- The Grange P-12 College
- Victoria University Secondary College
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- Bacchus Marsh College
- Bayside P-12 College
- Braybrook College
- Copperfield College
- Craigieburn Secondary College
- Footscray High School
- Glenroy Secondary College
- Hume Central Secondary College
- Keilor Downs College
- Kurunjang Secondary College
- Laverton P-12 College
- Manor Lakes P-12 College
- Melton Secondary College
- Mount Alexander College
- Mount Ridley P-12 College
- Reservoir High School
- Roxburgh College
- St Albans Secondary College
- Sunbury College
- The Grange P-12 College
- Victoria University Secondary College
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- Ararat Secondary College
- Beaufort Secondary College
- Brauer Secondary College
- Camperdown College
- Casterton Secondary College
- Colac Secondary College
- Geelong High School
- Heywood District Secondary College
- Horsham College
- Lavers Hill K-12 College
- Maryborough Education Centre
- Mount Clear College
- Mt Rowan Secondary College
- Newcomb Secondary College
- North Geelong Secondary College
- Phoenix P-12 Community College
- Portland Secondary College
- St Arnaud Secondary College
Find out more about the DiSS program by watching this informative video created by the South Eastern Melbourne PHN.
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Weghorst, A. A. H., Lawrence, J., Jansen, D. E. M. C., Holtman, G. A., Sanci, L. A., Berger, M. Y., & Hiscock, H. (2024). Enablers and barriers to home management for children with gastroenteritis: systematic review. The Journal of Pediatrics: Clinical Practice, 200115. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedcp.2024.200115
Weghorst, A. A., Sanci, L. A., Berger, M. Y., Hiscock, H., & Jansen, D. E. (2024). Comparing healthcare systems between the Netherlands and Australia in management for children with acute gastroenteritis. Plos One, 19(7), e0306739.
Manski-Nankervis, J. A., Canaway, R., Chidgey, C., Emery, J., Sanci, L., Hocking, J. S., Davidson, S., Swan, I., & Boyle, D. (2024). Data Resource Profile: Primary Care Audit, Teaching and Research Open Network (Patron). International journal of epidemiology, 53(1). doi:10.1093/ije/dyae002
Mahoney, C., Williams, I. R., Lamb, K., Spike, N., McArthur, L., Magin, P., Bentley, M., Bradford, C., Hiscock, H., Irwin, R., & Sanci, L. (2024). Caring for kids: Australian general practice registrar confidence in delivering paediatric primary care. Australian Journal of General Practice, 53(8), 574-582. doi:10.31128/ajgp-08-23-6951
Loveday, S., Chen, L. L., Constable, L. N., Kabir, A., White, N., Goldfeld, S., Sanci, L., & Hiscock, H. (2024). Opening Pandora's box - key facilitators of practice change in detecting and responding to childhood adversity - a practitioner perspective. Bmc Pediatrics, 24(1). doi:10.1186/s12887-024-04918-5
Hughes, Y., Bilardi, J. E., Chen, M., Chow, E. P. F., Diprose, A. B., Donovan, B., Fairley, C. K., Hewson, D., Hocking, J., Kaldor, J., Ong, J. J., Ryder, N., Sanci, L. A., Temple-Smith, M. J., Towns, J. M., Waring, L., Wigan, R., & Williamson, D. (2024). Multiplex PCR testing of anogenital lesions for Treponema pallidum and herpes simplex virus in primary care improves the detection of primary syphilis. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S378-S379.
Bond, S. R., Bilardi, J. E., Chen, M., Chow, E. P. F., Donovan, B., Fairley, C. K., Giarrusso, R. L., Giles, M. L., Hocking, J., Hodges, R., Kaldor, J., Kane, S. C., McCully, B., Ong, J. J., Posma, E., Ryder, N., Temple-Smith, M. J., Tomnay, J. E., & Wigan, R. (2024). Using implementation science to develop an adaptable clinical systems implementation package to embed routine syphilis screening in later pregnancy into clinical practice. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S284-S285.
Bittleston, H., Coombe, J., Goller, J. L., Hocking, J., & Temple-Smith, M. J. (2024a). "Mum was disappointed but everyone else was supportive"- experiences of disclosing a sexually transmissible infection diagnosis. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S447-S448.
Bittleston, H., Coombe, J., Goller, J. L., Hocking, J., & Temple-Smith, M. J. (2024b). Past sex education and having a usual doctor makes it easier for young Australians to discuss sexual health with a doctor: Findings from an online survey. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S446-S447.
Bittleston, H., Coombe, J., Goller, J. L., Hocking, J., & Temple-Smith, M. J. (2024c). Young Australians know less about syphilis than other sexually transmissible infections: findings from an online survey. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S373-S374.
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Chen, K. Y., Jones, R., Lei, S., Shanthikumar, S., Sanci, L., Carlin, J., & Hiscock, H. (2023). Primary health care utilization and hospital readmission in children with asthma: A multi-site linked data cohort study. The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma, 1-12. doi:10.1080/02770903.2022.2164200
Ke, T., Li, W., Sanci, L., Reavley, N., Williams, I., & Russell, M. A. (2023). The mental health of international university students from China during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protective effect of social support: A longitudinal study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 328, 13-21. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.014
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Khano, S., Sanci, L., Woolfenden, S., Zurynski, Y., Dalziel, K., Liaw, S.-T., Boyle, D., Freed, G. L., Moore, C., Hodgins, M., Le, J., Morris, T. M., Germano, S., Wheeler, K., Lingam, R., & Hiscock, H. (2022). Strengthening Care for Children (SC4C): protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of an integrated general practitioner-paediatrician model of primary care. Bmj Open, 12(9), e063449-e063449. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063449
Lim, M. S. Y., Hocking, J. S., Sanci, L., & Temple-Smith, M. (2022). A systematic review of international students' sexual health knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes. Sexual Health. doi:10.1071/sh21073
Liu, W., Lim, M. S. Y., Williams, H., & Temple-Smith, M. (2022). Contraceptive decision making among Chinese international students in Melbourne: findings from a qualitative investigation. Culture Health & Sexuality. doi:10.1080/13691058.2022.2112084
Sanci, L., Williams, I., Russell, M., Chondros, P., Duncan, A.-M., Tarzia, L., Peter, D., Lim, M. S. Y., Tomyn, A., & Minas, H. (2022). Towards a health promoting university: descriptive findings on health, wellbeing and academic performance amongst university students in Australia. Bmc Public Health, 22(1), 2430-2430. doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14690-9
Yu, A. Y., Temple-Smith, M. J., & Bilardi, J. E. (2022). Health care support following miscarriage in Australia: a qualitative study. How can we do better? Australian Journal of Primary Health. doi:10.1071/py21090
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Brown, C., Sanci, L., & Hegarty, K. (2021). Technology-facilitated abuse in relationships: Victimisation patterns and impact in young people. Computers in Human Behavior, 106897.
Mathews, B., & Sanci, L. A. (2021). Doctors' criminal law duty to report consensual sexual activity between adolescents: legal and clinical issues. Medical Journal of Australia. doi:10.5694/mja2.51163
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Williams, I., Vaisey, A., Patton, G., & Sanci, L. (2020). The effectiveness, feasibility and scalability of the school platform in adolescent mental healthcare. Current opinion in psychiatry, 33(4), 391-396. doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000619
For an up-to-the-minute list of all our publications, head to the general practice section in the library.
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Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children’s Hospital
Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital
School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne
Australian Paediatric Research Network
Department of General Practice, The University of Sydney
Loddon Mallee Health, Department of Human Services, Victoria
The Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society
Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
ISIS Primary Care Hoppers Crossing
Centre of Excellence in Intervention and Prevention Science
The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network
Victorian Government Department of Education and Training
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