Nutrition & Lifestyle
Smoking contributes significantly to the global burden of disease and disability
Important risk factors for chronic disease and injury
The Nutrition and Lifestyle Division was established in growing recognition of the importance of nutrition and other major lifestyle as risk factors for chronic disease and injury.
Nutrition and lifestyle research at the Institute centres on the areas of obesity, salt, diabetes and tobacco which account for a substantial component of the global burden of disease and disability.
In particular, much of the divisional activity is undertaken in lower and middle-income countries of the Asia-Pacific region, home to one-third of the global population. Much of the region is undergoing enormous social-demographic, economic and nutritional upheavals and, as a result, is experiencing epidemics of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
In recognition of the significant health implications of eating too much salt, the Division also co-ordinates a national campaign to reduce population salt intakes in Australia.
On-going Projects
Obesity is a major lifestyle risk factor for chronic disease
The Division is undertaking two major studies that are unique and invaluable sources of such information. In the future, evidence from these studies will be used to form the basis for the rationale, design and implementation of intervention studies in the fields of obesity, diabetes and smoking prevention.
Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration (APCSC)
APCSC is an individual participant meta-analysis of 44 studies within the Asia-Pacific region designed to provide the most reliable evidence concerning the associations of risk factors with cardiovascular disease.
Obesity in Asia Collaboration
Aims to provide reliable evidence concerning the relationships between anthropometrical markers of adiposity with cardiovascular risk factors within, and across, ethnic groups. To date, researchers from 12 countries in the region have contributed datasets with information on different measures of adiposity and CVD risk factors on over 200,000 individuals to this collaboration.
High salt diets are strongly linked to high blood pressure - a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack
The Division also hosts the Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) Drop the Salt! Campaign. This is a unique national advocacy program to reduce average population salt intakes to less than 6grams a day by 2012.
Future Directions
In the next few years, we hope to strengthen our ties with our Asian collaborators, particularly in China. Our aim is to instigate a series of obesity and smoking prevention studies in China. In Australia we will be contributing to the development of the '45 and Up' cohort study of 250,000 people in New South Wales.
New Projects
Obesity and its impact on the success of In vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
The proposed study will provide the first randomised controlled trial evidence about the effect on fertility and metabolic parameters of a weight loss program in obese women undertaking in vitro fertilisation (IVF).