Current Projects and Activities

Anglicare and Red Cross Australia

The Cluster has provided on-going technical support to these agencies in pursuing their work in the area of improving food security for Australia’s disadvantaged. The planning of surveys and provision of advice on changes in program emphasis/service provision has been the focus of the collaboration in recent years.

Indigenous Nutrition

The Study of Environment, Aboriginal Resilience And Child Health (SEARCH)

SEARCH is an intervention study of 2000 indigenous children in urban NSW, investigating interventions to improve health of indigenous children, especially to reduce the prevalence of otitis media and obesity, with a focus on housing, mental health and clinical measures (including dietary behaviours). The project is run by the Sax Institute and Vicki Flood has been working collaboratively with the Institute to advise about dietary assessment tools.

Many Rivers Diabetes Prevention Program (MRDPP)

The Many Rivers project is an initiative of Durri ACMS in Kempsey NSW, in response to high rates of Diabetes in Aboriginal Communities. It is an intervention project designed to reduce diabetes in indigenous children in rural NSW, funded to University of Newcastle. This project has received funding from NHMRC Healthy Start to Life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children. Vicki Flood has been involved with this project as a collaborator and member of the Advisory Group, advising about methods to collect dietary data and possible points of intervention. CPHN is involved with assisting with interpretation of the validation of survey questions and a description of nutrition patterns.