Participate in research studies

An investigation of new methods to improve body image among young women

You will first complete some questionnaires and then you will be asked to visualize a time in the past where you felt bad about your body. Then you will either be randomly allocated (as in the toss of a coin) to a condition that may involve further visualization, reading some engaging materials about how eating disorders may develop, or a time to let your mind wander.

Depending on the group you are allocated in, you may or may not have some brief homework to do. All participants will complete a 10 minutes follow-up survey in a week’s time. You’ll be reimbursed by 3 credits for your time.

Thinking outside the box: Finding new ways to improve children’s (pre)school day nutrition

Flinders University Caring Futures Institute researchers are conducting an important research project that aims to find out new ways for food provision in preschool and school hours to help improve children’s nutrition and support the development of lifelong eating behaviours.

We are seeking volunteers from a range of different backgrounds to take part in 2-3hr workshops in metro Adelaide. We are looking for people involved in school canteens or breakfast programs, childcare, kindergartens and primary schools (e.g. teacher, principal, governing council, directors), food industry, food relief agencies, parents and other people working in other areas such as design related to kitchens or food products.

If you are interested in finding out more about the study please contact Brittany Johnson via email brittany.johnson@flinders.edu.au or call +614 8204 7076.  

Are you a parent interested in discussing your experiences with the family meal?

This study is seeking an interview with parents, lasting no more than 60 minutes on one occasion, to discuss experiences of the family meal in households today. 

As part of a PhD project, we want to understand how the family meal has changed over time, and you could help! 

Please visit the study webpage at https://www.facebook.com/thefamilymealstudy/ or @Thefamilymealstudy on Facebook

Effect of spectral compostion of light on myopia (or short-sightedness) in young adults

Require your participation for three days for approximately 2.5 hours each day. This study will examine the effects of low and moderate intensity white light to the eye over two days. An additional third day will repeat the same measurements, but without any light stimulation. 

Different parts of the eye will be measured using commercial instruments commonly used in the eye clinic.

Study load has been associated with decreased physical activity and increased stress. This research project aims to assess how movement behaviours and health outcomes are influenced by changes in study load in university students across the duration of a semester. This study will act as a pilot study to provide important insight into where interventions to enhance student health and wellbeing are best positioned.

The research is completed in two phases:

• Phase one: visit 1 approx 20 min and visit 2 approx 40 min - to be conducted early in semester 1 or 2, 2020
  
• Phase two: visit 3 approx 20 min and visit 4 approx 40 min - to be conducted late in semester 1 or 2, 2020.

Participant requirements:

• Wear 2 small activity monitors (one on your wrist and one on your upper thigh) for two sets of 8-day periods to measure movement behaviours.
• Take 2 minutes each night to record your sleep times and time spent in study and paid employment during the monitoring period.
  
• Complete five short questionnaires during two of the data collection visits (ie visits 1 and 3).

Australian general practitioner perspectives on multimorbidity with life-limiting illness: its challenges and strategies for management

This project will investigate general practitioner (GP) perspectives of managing patients with multiple chronic conditions, the suitability of the available research evidence for doing so, and what GPs believe is needed to better support them in providing this care. It will take the form of a single 15-20 minute interview via Zoom, phone, or in person (where possible). GPs will be reimbursed for their time in line with the Schedule fee.

We are seeking participants for a study exploring commercial app use and physical activity. Participation may involve engaging with a physical activity app (Strava), and sharing tracked physical activity (from Strava) to Facebook for an 8-week period. You will also be asked to complete questionnaires assessing your general physical activity levels and beliefs surrounding physical activity, and wear an activity monitor (worn on the wrist like a watch).

Upon completion you will be placed in a draw to win one of 20 $50 Coles/ Myer vouchers.

The study will commence in February 2020.

If you are interested in participating, please contact:
Jasmine Petersen
Email: jasmine.petersen@flinders.edu.au

This study is investigating the psychology of drink choices. In this study, you will complete several questionnaires about your beverage consumption habits and dieting behaviour, and choose a drink from a computerised vending machine display. Your height and weight will also be measured.

The session will take approximately 15 mins.

Participants will complete several cognitive tasks on the computer, fill in questionnaires, and taste and rate a selection of drinks. Participants’ height and weight will also be measured.

The questionnaires and tasks will take around 70 mins. Following the session, you will be asked to complete short online surveys each day for a seven-day period. The study as a whole is estimated to take a total time commitment of 90 minutes.

If you are interested in participating please visit https://flinders.sona-systems.com/default.aspx?p_return_experiment_id=1747 or
contact joshua.mcgreen@flinders.edu.au.

There is a need to better understand what factors contribute to successful parent and coach relationships in youth sport. This is important because parents and coaches strongly influence psychosocial outcomes developed through youth sport. They also impact participation in, and enjoyment of, youth sport. Examining models of successful parent and coach relationships are necessary to address a clear gap in the field of sport parenting (Harwood, Knight, Berrow and Thrower, 2019). This project will undertake a series of interviews with parents and coaches in youth sport to explore their experiences and perceptions of successful parent and coach relationships in youth sport.

What will I be asked to do?
You are invited to voluntarily participate in a once-only individual interview (in person or via skype) or a focus group discussion. Interviews will last approximately 30-60 minutes and focus groups will last approximately 30-60 minutes. All interviews and focus groups will be recorded for transcribing purposes. Participants will not be given the opportunity to review and edit their transcripts. Skype interviews will be video recorded for audio data only (i.e., video recording will not be used, only audio data used for transcription purposes).

What benefit will I gain from being involved in this study?
Your involvement in this study will directly contribute to developing effective and efficient education and training programs to optimise coach and parental involvement in youth sport. The development of educational resources is a novel step in this regard, yet there is a need to inform resource development with evidence-based topics that enhance parental involvement in youth sport, including how to cultivate positive relationships between parents and coaches. An email summary of the projects findings can be arranged for each participant or an oral presentation at local sport club.

Will I be identifiable by being involved in this study?
We cannot assure anonymity but can ensure confidentiality by de-identifying all recorded data and using pseudonyms in any resulting publications. All files will be stored on a password protected server and Onedrive file, in which access will be restricted to the researchers and a transcription service. These files will be destroyed after 5 years in storage. Your comments will not be linked directly to you. Even though information provided will be treated with the strictest confidence by the researcher, as the researcher is a mandated reporter, disclosure of illegal activities will need to be reported by the researcher to the relevant authorities.

Are there any risks or discomforts if I am involved?
There are no risks or discomforts if you are involved. However, there are some burdens including:

1. Time burden: As interviews and focus groups can last for up to an hour, participants will be verbally reminded that they can withdraw from the interview or focus group at any time.
2. Lack of anonymity: For convenience, a sign will be provided to participants before the interview to print and attach to doors or office windows if they are located in a workspace. Participants will also be encouraged to consider participating in the study at ‘low peak’ times to reduce burden of incidental people and if possible, suggest using quiet space at home or in a booked space to reduce burden of incidental people. In the unlikely event that participants experience discomfort and/or distress during an interview or focus group, participants can access free support from Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636).
   

How do I agree to participate?
Contact sam.elliott@flinders.edu.au for more information including information sheet and consent form.

You are invited to participate in a research interview that aims to explore nursing and allied health professionals’ perceptions of why avoidable hospital readmissions for aspiration pneumonia and constipation occur and how their incidence can be reduced. These interviews will form part of a larger study designed to develop an intervention to reduce the occurrence of these readmissions.

You are eligible to participate if you are a nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician and/or speech pathologist currently working in a hospital in South Australia. You can be working as a clinician or in a managerial/leadership position. You can have a dual academic-clinical role.

The interview will take approximately 45 minutes (this will depend on how much information you want to share). Interviews can be held either at Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders University, over-the-phone or in a public place (library or café), whichever is convenient for you. Confidentiality will always be upheld, particularly when interviewing in public places. Interviews will be conducted by one of three researchers from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University.

There are no foreseeable risks to participating in this project. Taking part is completely voluntary and you are under no obligation to participate. Your choice to participate or not will have no influence on your employment status or conditions.

If you are interested in participating, or want more information, please contact:

Dr Rebecca Feo
Email: rebecca.feo@flinders.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 8201 3502

Kristi Urry
kristi.urry@flinders.edu.au

A new clinical tool to assess fitness-to-drive in obstructive sleep apnoea

If you have sleep apnea or snoring, or if you consider yourself free from any sleep problems we invite you to participate in a research study to help us characterise sleep disorders better.  This study is being conducted at the following location:

Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Adelaide SA.

The study will involve completing a 45 minute questionnaire asking about your sleep, health and lifestyle. Depending on your answers in the questionnaire, you may be invited to have an overnight sleep study at our sleep centre.

If you are interested in participating in this study, please email:
aish.sleeplab@flinders.edu.au.

Clarifying the role of arousal-hyperventilation in obstructive and central sleep apnoea: Testing fundamental pathophysiological mechanisms

Volunteers will undergo a one night sleep study with additional respiratory and intramuscular

Flourishing in rural schools: Graduate teachers' perceptions of their wellbeing in their new profession.

This project will investigate graduate teachers’ understandings and perceptions of their sense of wellbeing and the influences on their flourishing in their first rural teaching appointment. Wellbeing is more than happiness; it involves increasing the flourishing in one’s life by improving and growing one’s positive emotions, positive engagement, positive relationships, positive meaning, and positive accomplishments (Seligman, 2011).

This project will survey as many graduate teachers in rural, regional, and remote locations as possible, then offer the opportunity to participate in follow-up interviews and/or participant journaling to explore their wellbeing in more detail.

Sisu trait survey: How is the Finnish concept of 'sisu' experienced in Australia?

Participate in a short (< 10 min) online survey to help create a generalisable tool for measuring 'sisu' across different cultures.

The term 'sisu' refers to "extraordinary determination, courage and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity. An action mindset which enables individuals to reach beyond their present limitation, take action against all odds and transform barriers into frontiers. An integral element of Finnish culture and also a universal capacity, which we all share." (https://sisulab.com/sisu-about/)

The survey is part of the 'Sisu at Work' project, conducted by the University of Helsinki and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. in collaboration with Flinders University.

More information about the survey, project and sisu, as well as the researchers’ contact information can be found on the survey website.

This project will investigate different motions of the hand and wrist and compare these to the motion of the lower limbs during walking. This project is supported by the Flinders University College of Science and Engineering.

Continuously monitoring alcohol use and health behaviours using a smartphone app and breathalyser: Pilot study

This study is part of the project titled “Continuously monitoring alcohol use & health behaviours using a smartphone app and breathalyser: Pilot study”.

This project will investigate the feasibility of using smartphone base applications in a general population, and to determine whether the information gathered can be used to detect time and contexts associated with alcohol use behaviour. Based on the data gathered, an individual intervention package can then be tailored for the user to improve the outcomes of an alcohol use disorder.

To be eligible for the study, individuals must be:

• at least (1) 18-years old and willing to produce identification which confirms their age; and
  
• drink regularly (weekly at minimum) as part of their normal life / social activities.