Alcohol
Alcohol use and effects on mood in elderly women - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisors: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke
Project Site: Healthy Ageing Program, Dept of Medicine, Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, UoM, Parkville, Vic 3052.
Contact: A/Professor Cassandra Szoeke T:61 3 8344 1835 E: cszoeke@unimelb.edu.au
Project description: Alcohol consumption in women is becoming an increasing public health concern. Depression, the most prevalent and persistent mental disorder in women, has been shown to be related to alcohol consumption. This study examines the association between alcohol intake and depression in community-dwelling older women.
The Women’s Healthy Ageing Project (WHAP) has prospective longitudinal, epidemiological data on alcohol consumption and mood of Australian women from age 45 over 25 years. This project will provide the opportunity for publication, as well as participant contact and clinical skills experience.
Why do some people with hepatitis C continue to drink? - also offered as MBiomedSc
Supervisor: Professor Margaret Hellard, Head, Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute
Project Site: Burnet Institute
Contact: E: margaret.hellard@burnet.edu.au
Project Description: Acquiring hepatitis C (HCV) in the developed world, once infected with HCV, alcohol use is the strongest known modifiable determinant of HCV disease progression. Alcohol consumption has been found to raise the viral load and accelerate hepatic fibrosis in the context of HCV infection, and heavy alcohol consumption is a risk factor for premature death from HCV. Moreover, as well as impacting on liver disease progression, heavy alcohol use may influence the likelihood of successful HCV treatment.
The proposed project involves in-depth interviews with up to 25 consenting participants living with HCV from the Melbourne Injecting Cohort Study (MIX). Interviews will address alcohol use and other related exposures and outcomes, including participants’ alcohol consumption prior to and after HCV diagnosis, any medical advice regarding alcohol consumption they may have received, advice from peers with HCV regarding alcohol consumption, perception of alcohol consumption practices amongst peers with HCV, participants’ understanding of the relationship between alcohol-related and injecting drug use-related behaviours, clinical symptoms and other effects of HCV on relationships and self-perception, current self-management strategies for living with HCV.