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Public Health Research and Practice Public Health Research and Practice Society
The peer-reviewed journal of the Sax Institute

Public Health Research and Practice

Public Health Research and Practice

Public Health Research and Practice publishes innovative, high-quality papers that inform public health policy and practice, paying particular attention to innovations, data and perspectives from policy and practice, to a national and international audience. Read more about the journal

Editor-in-Chief: Professor Don Nutbeam AO

Publishing Model: Open Access

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Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. Public Health Research and Practice is published under a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 14 July 2025

PU24027A critical review of long-term funding for reducing violence against women in Australia

Lauren Sheppard, Vicki Brown, Kim Robinson and Marj Moodie
 

Few studies have examined in detail the funding invested in addressing violence against women despite its importance for achieving global elimination targets. This review of Australian Government budget reports found increasing funding over time, with resources directed towards strengthening the response to violence. Documenting a long-term, need-based strategy is necessary in the future to ensure adequate resources and optimal investment in comprehensive strategies to address violence against women effectively.

Published online 14 July 2025

PU24105Australasian public health alumni employment outcomes

Bethany Howard, Holly Wild, Rochelle Scheid, Holly Donaldson, Dragan Ilic and Julia Choate
 

Public health relies on a diverse workforce to address global health challenges, yet many students face uncertainty about career options. This study analyses the career paths of over 14,000 public health graduates, revealing key employment sectors, major employers and essential skills. By tracking alumni through networking sites, institutions can refine public health education to align with workforce needs, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for impactful careers.

Published online 02 July 2025

PU25066Ten years of Public Health Research & Practice

Don Nutbeam
 

This Editorial highlights recent publications included in the 10th anniversary collection of Public Health Research & Practice. The collection offers reflections from our Editorial Board members and other invited experts on several critical public health issues from the past 10 years, while also looking to future opportunities and challenges.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

Published online 02 July 2025

PU24017Investigating participation in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program through general practice: a survey on practices, challenges and digital opportunities

Nicole Marinucci, Natasha Koloski, Amanda Whaley, Rachael Bagnall, Ayesha Shah, Belinda Goodwin and Gerald Holtmann
 

Government-organised bowel cancer screening, using Faecal Occult Blood Tests, is a proven public health method for early detection and demonstrates high efficacy in reducing population morbidity and mortality. Despite the positive influence general practitioners have on their patients’ screening participation rates, endorsement is not routinely included within policy and practice. Research findings contribute new evidence regarding the resources, preferences and system-level requirements needed to support routine general practice endorsement of bowel cancer screening.

Published online 20 June 2025

PU24025Mapping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and infant health programs and services in Victoria, Australia

Fiona Mitchell 0000-0002-0651-4040, Rachel Laws 0000-0003-4328-1116, Penelope Love 0000-0002-1244-3947, Jennifer Browne 0000-0002-6497-2541 and Vincent L. Versace 0000-0002-8514-1763
 

Maternal and infant health services are vital for Aboriginal infants to have the best possible start to life. These services are not evenly distributed, leaving some Aboriginal families unable to access the care needed for both mums and babies. Being unable to access these important services affects babies’ growth and development. Culturally safe and targeted services based on population needs are required to improve continuity of care in the first 1000 days.

Published online 12 June 2025

PU25005Advancing evidence to enable optimal communicable disease control

Catherine M. Bennett and Meru Sheel
 

COVID-19 highlighted the importance of epidemiological evidence in understanding the dynamics of viral transmission and informing policy. The pandemic also revealed gaps globally in evidence generation and investment in a coordinated approach to surveillance data reporting and evidence synthesis. Real-time public health research in crises must have infrastructure in place to support granular real-world investigation into who is at most risk of exposure, and disease and intervention impacts, especially in low- and middle-income countries where health resources are limited.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

Published online 12 June 2025

PU24016Australian healthcare providers’ awareness of and practices related to vaccine safety surveillance

Nicola Carter, Catherine King, Lucy Deng, Nicholas Wood and Helen Quinn
 

Despite the critical role of healthcare providers in increasing vaccine coverage and public confidence in vaccines, they have limited engagement with vaccine safety surveillance systems in Australia. This study examined the awareness and practices of healthcare providers in relation to vaccine safety surveillance systems and found that gaps exist, particularly with AusVaxSafety, and that efforts must be made to increase the accessibility and utility of AusVaxSafety vaccine safety data.

Published online 06 June 2025

PU24024Health and social impacts of exposure to mould-affected housing in Australia: a qualitative study

Maria Rosa Gatto, Ang Li and Rebecca Bentley
 

Indoor mould exposure is increasingly recognised as a physical and mental health stressor. Our article investigates the experiences and perceptions of Australian residents living in mould-affected housing, exploring the causes of mould growth, the health impacts, and the barriers to fixing mould problems. Our findings emphasise the need for better education on mould prevention and remediation plus better regulations to enforce rental and building minimum standards.

Published online 05 June 2025

PU24022Children arriving hungry in the first year of school: population trends in Australia from 2009 to 2021

Adam Gavin, Mary Brushe and Alanna Sincovich
 

Food insecurity in early childhood has adverse effects throughout life; however, little is known about how many young children in Australia experience a lack of access to food. This research investigates trends in the prevalence of children who arrived at school hungry in their first year of school in Australia from 2009 to 2021, with findings aligned with evidence that food insecurity is growing. There is a need to explore how school meal provision can better support children experiencing food insecurity.

Published online 29 May 2025

PU24021Co-design of an Australian health service framework and implementation plan for involving consumers in research

Laura Ryan, Rachel Wenke, Joan Carlini, Kelly. A. Weir, Margaret Shapiro, Noela Baglot, Magnolia Cardona, Georgia Tobiano, Sally Sargeant, Rachel Muir and Laetitia Hattingh
 

This project aimed to co-design a strategic consumer involvement framework for an Australian hospital and health service. Using a co-design approach, the project involved five stages: stakeholder consultation, staff survey, group sessions with consumers and staff, data synthesis, and a final workshop. Results identified a need for governance, infrastructure, capacity building, and leadership and culture to support consumer involvement in research. Implementation strategies were adapted to the local context. The project emphasises the importance of supporting consumer–researcher collaboration, offering a blueprint for creating local, contextualised strategies to enhance the relevance and impact of research in Australian hospital and health services.

Published online 28 May 2025

PU24008Beyond the blind spot: considering the benefits of comprehensive skin cancer surveillance

Catherine M. Olsen, Christopher Donovan, Christine Connors and on behalf of the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)
 

Australia is a global leader in skin cancer research and prevention, yet it lacks comprehensive data on the incidence of the most common skin cancers in the population, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, hindering control efforts. This manuscript highlights the critical need for reliable national data on the incidence of these cancers, which pose a significant public health burden. Comprehensive registration can inform evidence-based policy, improve prevention strategies and ultimately reduce the burden of these cancers.

This is the first perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. While the gains won in selected areas of public health in Australia over the last decade should be acknowledged, the nation continues to fall short of the aspirations expressed in its prevention policies. Sporadic and disjointed implementation are perennial issues. The governance, organisational and funding requirements for effective prevention need to be addressed. The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030 and the Australian Centre for Disease Control are current opportunities for improving the leadership and coordination of implementation across sectors and agencies.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

This is the fourth perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. Despite successfully lowering smoking rates, tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable illness and death in Australia. Reducing smoking prevalence to no more than 5% by 2030 could be readily achieved with continued tobacco control policy innovation. Australia has the opportunity to once again be a global leader in tobacco control by adopting world-first polices that strictly limit where and how easily tobacco is sold.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

This is the third perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. Preventing illness is a core part of what general practice does. Over the past 10 years, screening for cancer, prevention of heart disease and immunisation have all increased. However, assessment and referral of patients with overweight and unhealthy behaviours has remained too infrequent due to high workload, inappropriate funding and poorly developed information systems.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

Most Read

The Most Read ranking is based on the number of downloads in the last 60 days from papers published on the CSIRO PUBLISHING website within the last 12 months. Usage statistics are updated daily.

Collections

Collections are a curation of articles relevant to a topical research area

This 10th anniversary collection of Public Health Research & Practice (PHRP) features contributions that best reflect our mission of translating research evidence into practice. Papers cover pandemic planning, preventive health, tobacco control, the potential of AI in public health and more.

Collection editor
Professor Don Nutbeam (EIC PHRP)

Last Updated: 02 Jul 2025

Committee on Publication Ethics