Background
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and intellectual disability, typically manifest in early childhood and can significantly affect learning, behavior, and social interactions. Migration-related factors directly or indirectly contribute to the development of such conditions. The existing evidence is still limited and scattered. This systematic review aims to identify the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in preschool children of migrants and refugees in high-income Western countries.
Methods
Five databases, including Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, were searched for eligible studies from inception until (specify month and year). Three reviewers independently screened and selected studies, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality. A narrative synthesis of the results from the included studies has been conducted.
Results
Out of 12434 records, 12 met the eligibility criteria, with most conducted in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. The majority of the included research reported on autism, with only a few reporting on autism with intellectual disability, speech and language disorders, and coordination difficulties. Parental migration was a significant risk factor for autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions among children compared to native-born children. Other risk factors include older parental age, maternal stress, low socioeconomic status of the country of origin, African or Asian ethnicity, and prenatal and perinatal complications. Considerable heterogeneity in study design, migration-related factors, and diagnostic criteria was observed.
Conclusion
Our review highlighted a number of factors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in preschool-aged children of migrants. Future research should include a longitudinal design with a range of migration-related factors to understand the underlying mechanism. Timely and culturally appropriate screening processes and interventions are essential to ensure equitable access and promote optimal developmental outcomes.

Public health and preventive approaches offer strong evidence of population-wide benefits and cost-effectiveness, presenting opportunities to improve health outcomes in Australia and internationally. Decisions about public health investment are shaped by a complex interplay of political, institutional, economic, social, commercial, ideological, and narrative factors that determine how public health priorities are valued and prioritised. This exploratory research investigates how public health, particularly preventive approaches, are conceptualised and prioritised within the Australian policymaking context, and how these systemic and contextual factors influence policy choices and investment decisions. The study aims to identify key barriers and enablers to investing in public health and inform strategies for embedding prevention within sustainable policy and funding systems.

A multi-phase, mixed-method design integrates qualitative, documentary, and participatory approaches to generate insights on how prevention is prioritised and funded. Phase 1 involves semi-structured interviews with policymakers and other key stakeholders shaping policy to explore how prevention is conceptualised and what drives or constrains investment. Phase 2 explores how prevention is represented in policy and funded in practice, drawing on literature, policy analysis, and case studies. Phase 3 will build on earlier findings to engage stakeholders in refining insights and exploring practical strategies to strengthen policy engagement and guide investment in prevention.

This presentation will outline the conceptual framework and preliminary themes emerging from Phase 1 interviews. It will explore how and to what extent prevention is prioritised within political and institutional decision-making, and consider contextual factors that may influence investment. Emerging directions for stakeholder engagement and the development of a structured approach to guide future policy and investment strategies will be discussed.

By integrating insights from policymakers and other stakeholders with diverse evidence sources, this research will inform strategies to embed prevention within resilient policy and funding systems, harnessing enablers while addressing forces that deprioritise prevention.

Background:
Psychological distress is projected to worsen mortality rates and increase the prevalence of chronic disease, making it a central concern for Australian preventive health. Whilst it is well known that prevalence of psychological distress is increasing, the consequences of this rise on self-reported health and wellbeing is less clear. This study examined how levels of psychological distress relate to self-reported health and wellbeing to inform population-level mental health prevention strategies.

Methods:
This study included participants aged over 15 years from five waves (2007-2021) of the nationally representative household panel study: the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires, with psychological distress measured and stratified according to the Kessler Psychological Distress scale. Fixed-effects regression models and marginal effects analysis were used to investigate the association between psychological distress and self-reported health and wellbeing outcomes.

Results:
25,587 participants were included in this study. Levels of psychological distress rose between 2007 and 2021. Compared to low distress, high psychological distress was associated with significantly poorer self-rated health (β = -1.38, SE = 0.03), general health (β = -11.51, SE = 0.18), life satisfaction (β = -1.61, SE = 0.18), and health satisfaction (β = -1.20, SE = 0.03). These associations were stronger in females, suggesting gendered disparities in psychological wellbeing.

Conclusions:
This study highlights the growing health burden of psychological distress and its impact on perceived health and wellbeing. These results support the need for upstream preventative strategies and psychosocial interventions addressing mental health and wellbeing across Australian adults. Strategies include addressing gender-specific disparities, strengthening community supports and embedding psychological health as a key priority in Australian health policy.

BACKGROUND:
Over recent years, vaping prevalence has increased significantly among young Australians, leading to a growing need for evidence-based communications to support and encourage young people to quit vaping. We sought to develop an evidence-based vaping cessation messaging guide and accompanying digital assets to be used by professionals who work with young people.

METHODS:
Based on qualitative research (focus groups/interviews) with n=35 young Australians aged 14-24 years who vaped or had quit, we developed a series of text-based messages about vaping cessation. These messages were tested for persuasiveness, relevance and believability in a survey of n=384 young Australians aged 14-24 years who vaped or had quit. Selected messages were developed into creative concepts, and converted into digital assets, including posters and social assets (tiles and animations). Findings from the focus groups and survey were translated into a messaging guide.

RESULTS:
In focus groups/interviews, young people identified key motivators and barriers to quitting vaping. They reported a preference for vaping cessation support that would increase quitting self-efficacy and provide strategies for quitting. These findings were used to develop vaping cessation messages that centred around practical tips for quitting, how to recognise and manage nicotine addiction, and building self-efficacy to quit. Messages were generally more likely to be perceived as relevant and persuasive by young people who vaped regularly, compared with infrequent vapers. There were few differences by age group. Messages were refined based on survey results and translated into a messaging guide and accompanying digital assets (posters, and both static and animated social media assets) .

CONCLUSION:
This presentation will provide a case study of translating evidence into practice, through the development of evidence-based health promotion resources that can be accessed and used by professionals who work or communicate with young people.

Problem
Australia has the highest global incidence of skin cancer. Outdoor workers face extreme and cumulative exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This is not only a workplace health and safety issue, but also a matter of health equity. Outdoor workers are more likely to be male, live in rural and regional areas, and come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, increasing their vulnerability to preventable harm.

What we did
Cancer Council NSW conducted a literature review of workplace sun safety interventions, examining 46 publications and four systematic reviews. The review covered 28 interventions across industries such as construction, farming, transport, and recreation.

Key Findings
Multicomponent interventions were consistently more effective than single-strategy approaches. Successful strategies included education, policy, environmental supports, personal protective equipment and leadership engagement. Leadership buy-in, workplace champions, and tailored messaging were critical enablers. Aligning sun safety with Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation improves uptake and sustainability.

Lessons Learned and Next Steps
Translating evidence into action requires systems thinking, equity-focused planning and sustained investment. Tailored approaches that consider cultural attitudes, occupational norms and implementation barriers are essential to reaching underserved populations. Equity must be central to intervention design to ensure protection for those most at risk.

This review provides actionable insights for employers, policymakers, and health advocates. Embedding sun safety into workplace culture and WHS systems can reduce the burden of skin cancer and protect vulnerable Australians from preventable harm.

As the next step, Cancer Council NSW will develop a practical workplace toolkit to support implementation of best-practice sun safety strategies. The toolkit will be piloted with outdoor worker organisations to test feasibility, acceptability and impact, with a focus on supporting equity and sustainability in real-world settings.

Introduction
Socioeconomically disadvantaged communities often face systemic barriers to healthy living. Addressing these challenges requires shifting from individual-focused prevention to approaches that consider the broader social and environmental contexts.

Aim: This study explores how community organising offers a sustainable health preventive strategy to reduce health disparities by empowering community members.

Methods and Findings
This mixed methods study adopted a four-step community organising framework- community listening, discernment, action and evaluation, to identify community priorities and co-design a tailored health-promoting initiative.
Community listening: Listening sessions were conducted through 13 table talks and relational meetings with 168 community members, in Inala, Southeast Queensland. They shared diverse ideas including community gardens, cooking classes, walking groups, and nutrition clubs.
Discernment: Through facilitated discussions along with working group developed by the community members with potential leaders identified, ‘healthy eating’ as the community’s top priority.
Action: To inform action nutrition environment assessment compared supermarkets and restaurants in Inala and Springfield. Among 60 restaurants and 5 supermarkets surveyed, Inala’s restaurant offered significantly fewer healthy options and low nutrition information. While healthy food quality and availability in both areas’ supermarkets were similar, healthy items were more expensive in Inala, highlighting economic inequalities in food access.
Evaluation: Last step synthesised findings from the previous steps to inform the design of a community-based healthy eating initiative in the form of a community-endorsed food truck, with evaluation mechanisms tailored to local context.

Conclusion
This research highlighted the economic and social value of prevention by empowering communities to co-create sustainable, locally driven food solutions to improve community’s eating behaviours and reduce long term health costs. This study also underscores the need of cross-sector collaboration such as marketing and industry partnership is essential to reshape food environments and ensuring equitable access to healthy food.

Introduction:
Armed conflict has profound and long-term consequences for civilians, spanning psychological, cognitive, and social domains. Global evidence from regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans shows high rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Colombia’s five-decade internal conflict has produced over nine million victims. Despite this scale, research on conflict-related mental health in Colombia remains fragmented and uneven. Understanding these impacts extends beyond Colombia’s borders, as millions of Colombians form part of a global diaspora. Their health needs influence, and are influenced by, the host countries where they resettle, underscoring the international relevance of this issue. This review mapped existing literature on Colombia’s conflict-related mental health impacts, identified gaps, and synthesised evidence to inform policy and interventions.

Methods:
Five databases (APA PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science) were searched for English and Spanish studies examining mental health, psychosocial wellbeing, or access to mental health services affected by the Colombian conflict. Twenty-two studies met inclusion criteria and underwent thematic, narrative analysis.

Results:
Studies published between 2003–2025 mainly used cross-sectional designs, alongside mixed-methods and qualitative research. PTSD was the most examined outcome, followed by psychological wellbeing, depression, and anxiety. Additional themes included coping, suicidality, cognitive functioning, and healthcare perceptions. Gender, poverty, age, and race shaped vulnerability, disproportionately affecting women, Indigenous, and Afro-Colombian populations. Research clustered in urban and conflict-affected rural areas, with limited attention to marginalised or remote communities.

Conclusion:
This review underscores the persistence of trauma and the dominance of PTSD within research agendas. Findings hold global relevance for host nations supporting Colombian refugees and migrants, whose trauma-related needs persist beyond borders. Major gaps remain in longitudinal analysis, structural determinants, and intersectional perspectives. Synthesised findings offer a foundation for health policy, equitable mental health interventions, and internationally informed research directions in post-conflict and diaspora contexts.

Problem: Preventive action often begins too late in pregnancy to influence critical preconception biological and behavioural factors. Public awareness of, and access to, dedicated preconception health remains low. Health professionals identify systemic barriers to effective preconception health, including time constraints, limited resources and low public demand. This highlights a critical gap in how preconception health messages are delivered and sustained.

What We Did: The “Before the Baby Bump” Preconception Health Promotion Trial aims to address this gap by co-designing a multi-strategy social media campaign to improve awareness of modifiable health behaviours among adults aged 18–45 years. Using the IAP2 Public Participation Framework, community members were active partners in shaping campaign tone, messages, and imagery. Insights from local workshops across metro and regional health services informed campaign design, ensuring the resulting content was relatable, inclusive, and action oriented. The campaign follows an “announce–inform–act” model, directing audiences to a dedicated website for education, a digital preconception health check, and access to personalised health coaching via My Health for Life, a health behaviour initiative.

Results: Before the Baby Bump demonstrates a scalable, sustainable model for prevention delivery grounded in consumer voice. Co-design confirmed that community members consistently favoured clear, strength-based, and inclusive visuals, with a strong desire for content acknowledging the shared responsibility of both partners. Critically, messaging must be non-judgemental and offer cost-effective options, addressing key barriers like financial cost. Evaluation will measure effectiveness in raising awareness, influencing behavioural intent and increasing engagement with digital preconception health pathways.

Lessons: Embedding co-design in campaign development strengthens relevance, trust, and reach; critical metrics for long-term investment. By integrating evidence, digital engagement, and community needs, Before the Baby Bump offers a cost-effective strategy for embedding preconception health promotion into Queensland’s broader preventive health infrastructure.

Introduction: Dyslipidemia, characterized by abnormal blood lipid levels, is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Socioeconomic status can play a role in the development of chronic disease, including as an influence on risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Methods: This study analyzes the relationship between socioeconomic status and dyslipidemia using a population-based cross-sectional survey (NHANES 2017–2020 data). A cohort of 5862 adults was examined, focusing on socioeconomic factors (income, education, occupation) and their association with lipid profiles while controlling for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and medical variables, contributing to understanding how health disparities may affect chronic disease outcomes. Results: Low socioeconomic status was consistently associated with higher dyslipidemia risk, while high socioeconomic status demonstrated a modest protective effect. Age, BMI, hypertension, and diabetes were key predictors, highlighting the need for targeted interventions. Conclusions: This study underscores the critical role of socioeconomic status in dyslipidemia risk. Low socioeconomic status consistently increased the odds of dyslipidemia. While high socioeconomic status demonstrated some protective effects, these were diminished when accounting for lifestyle and clinical factors, highlighting the complex interplay of socioeconomic status and health behaviors.

Note that I have not used the suggested subheadings as it didn't really fit.

Efforts to improve population health have long emphasised the importance of individual behaviour change. While empowering people to make healthier choices is an enduring goal, the dominance of ‘choice’ as a framing device risks obscuring the powerful structural, social, and cultural conditions that shape those choices. The result is a prevention discourse that too often centres personal responsibility rather than systemic action, inadvertently reinforcing stigma and constraining progress on the upstream drivers of health and inequity.

Health isn’t just about choices; it is about chances. And the chances we get are shaped by the world around us. When we fail to acknowledge this, we risk placing the burden of change on individuals rather than the systems that limit their opportunities. In this conversation starter, I explore how ‘choice’ has become embedded in the language of prevention, drawing on some recent Australian examples.

To address these framing concerns, we can draw on values-based messaging approaches that externalise the problem, shifting the focus from individual responsibility to external forces. By emphasising fairness, opportunity, and shared responsibility, prevention messages can connect more deeply with people’s values and make visible the fundamental causes of poor health. This helps avoid reinforcing stigma and blame, especially towards those already experiencing disadvantage, while increasing public support for policy change.

In summary, I will use this conversation starter to argue that we need to speak more plainly and consistently about the systems and structures that shape health and wellbeing. That means shifting the narrative, amplifying evidence, and informing policy and practice that address the causes of the causes. Above all, we must stop suggesting that people can choose their way out of systemic, wicked problems.

For too long, oral health has been left out of Australia’s preventive-health conversation—treated as something separate, specialist, and secondary. Every year, more than 80 000 Australians are hospitalised for dental conditions that could have been avoided with early, simple preventive care.

At Friends of Really Excellent Dentistry (FRED), we are exploring how digital tools can help change that story.

Our vision is to use technology to make prevention personal, meeting people where they are, not where the health system expects them to be. We are building a suite of scalable, evidence-based digital tools designed for use by non-dental professionals across community and health settings.

These include micro-learning modules, interactive prompts, and guidance that translate preventive science into plain-language, tailored advice for individuals and families.

Rather than creating a new service silo, FRED’s model embeds oral health support within the services people already trust: aged care, disability, homelessness, and family-violence programs, helping staff identify early risks, start brief conversations, and refer for timely care.

The aim is to turn every point of contact into a small act of prevention.

We are exploring how AI might play a role in this, and how through digital engagement, we can personalise preventive support at scale, reducing avoidable hospitalisations, improving equity, and supporting sustainable system reform.

Technology is not the destination; it’s the enabler. When used ethically and inclusively, it can bring oral-health prevention into everyday life, and finally put the mouth back into the body.

Introduction: Australia’s National Preventive Health Strategy highlights the need to mobilise the broader primary care workforce. With over 3,500 osteopaths and approximately 10,000 naturopathic practitioners in Australia, these professions are sizeable yet under-recognised contributors to preventive health. This study investigates how practitioner and patient insights can guide scalable implementation of evidence-based preventive care within these workforces.
Methods: Two national cross-sectional surveys were conducted with practitioners (osteopaths n=220; naturopaths n=117) and their patients (n=99). Surveys assessed: a) frequency of screening for NPHS priority areas; b) confidence discussing these topics; and c) patient-reported behaviour change. Data were analysed descriptively to identify actionable pathways for system integration.
Results: Practitioners rated preventive health as highly relevant (mean 6.0–6.3/7) and routinely screened for diet, physical activity, alcohol, and tobacco use. Patients confirmed these behaviours: 93% of osteopath patients and 100% of naturopath patients discussed physical activity and nutrition. Naturopaths were more likely to address alcohol (81%) and tobacco (50%) than osteopaths (25% and 2%). Mental health was discussed by 72% of osteopath patients and 100% of naturopath patients. Patients reported moderate to high behaviour change following these discussions, with practitioners playing a meaningful role (e.g., physical activity: naturopaths 3.5/5, osteopaths 3.8/5; mental health: naturopaths 3.9/5, osteopaths 3.4/5). Naturopaths also influenced behaviour change in alcohol (3.5/5) and tobacco use (3.8/5). However, cancer screening and immunisation were less frequently addressed, particularly by osteopaths (screening 8%, immunisation 10%). Patients overwhelmingly believed their practitioner held a university-level qualification and viewed them as part of their broader care team.
Conclusion: This evidence confirms that naturopaths and osteopaths are already delivering preventive care and influencing patient behaviours. To translate “what works” into equitable, sustainable action, further action is needed including: (1)formal inclusion in preventive health policy; (2)interprofessional referral pathways; and (3)targeted professional development for under-addressed domains like immunisation and mental health.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in Australia. With the concerning uptake of emerging nicotine products such as vapes and pouches, it is critical that nicotine cessation services harness technology to reduce smoking and vaping rates across Australia.

The National Cessation Platform is a digital hub designed to connect national stakeholders and streamline cessation services. Its goal is to ensure that all Australians; regardless of who they are, where they live, or where they are on their quitting journey can access timely, evidence-based support.

Through advanced personalisation features, the platform delivers tailored resources, tools, and information based on users’ individual needs and location, and is able to adapt and respond to users behaviours across the site to increase the depth of personalised content prioritised for the user. This aims to provide a seamless and engaging experience to support behaviour change at scale.

The innovative digital capabilities, and National collaborative approach to content and resource access aims to strengthen and harmonise the delivery of information, support and tools to all Australians on their quitting journey.

Problem: Tobacco is an addictive, harmful product too easily available in Australia. This raises the question- when only 7% of adults in NSW smoke daily, why are there so many places selling tobacco? Harnessing this growing community concern, especially among parents, can enhance advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco supply. Mobilising community advocates requires building knowledge and intention to act, laying the groundwork for a compelling call to action.

What we did: We aimed to build an online community of supporters concerned by the oversupply of tobacco (and access to illegal vapes) in NSW. To develop a community of engaged followers that may support future advocacy initiatives, we developed a series of social media Q&As on Instagram stories. Monthly ‘Tobacco Talk Tuesdays’ were themed to raise awareness of the links between tobacco use, retail oversupply, social and health impacts. We included open-ended question and 'live' answer segments, knowledge polls and reels incorporating community responses. The Q&A format offered anonymity, encouraging participation by people who may not typically share their insights publicly. This approach was designed to foster shared learning through digital connection.

Results: Implementation commences February 2026. Each theme will be evaluated using social media engagement metrics, including reach, views, reactions, comments and reposts, as indicators of topic interest and community readiness to act.

Lessons: This initiative will demonstrate how digital platforms can build connections and foster engagement in tobacco control issues, priming communities for collective action. We will present the findings and share insights into what worked and what was modified as the content series was progressively implemented and evaluated. If successful, the initiative will be amplified on social media with spend, to increase reach, engagement, and allow for more detailed targeting based on audience objectives.

Every Moment Matters is a national health promotion campaign which aims to increase awareness and seeks to change behaviours around alcohol use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The public health messages are advertised through a national mass media campaign. Since launching in 2021, the campaign video has been viewed more than 107 million times, and the audio advertisement listened to more than 16.7 million times. Although there is no creative fatigue with existing creatives, a proactive review was undertaken to ensure the creative concepts and messages continue to resonate with the target audience and achieve the intended impact. This case study outlines the process that was undertaken to use evidence to build onto a successful public health campaign.

The review process included stakeholder interviews and discussions, analysis of the external evaluation data and feedback register. Creative concepts were then developed, and these were then focus tested through an independent research agency.

While this process is yet to be completed, collective analysis indicated that expecting parents are keen to be well informed about rapidly evolving knowledge and best practice in this field. Based on the findings, concepts added to the campaign will focus on social norms messaging highlighting the role and influence of women’s support networks and how everyone has a part to play in alcohol free pregnancies. This process has been time consuming, complex but deeply iterative. Despite the challenges, we’ve learned that collaboration takes patience and flexibility, and partnerships are invaluable.

Using evidence from different sources such as independent evaluation, audience feedback, focus group testing, and media reach insights is essential to inform continuous campaign improvement and sustain engagement for greater impact. 

Introduction
Caregiver input is essential to enhance acceptability of child health promotion initiatives. However, little is known about their preferences. We aimed to determine the elements of early childhood initiatives that caregivers prefer and consider most important.

Methods
Data were collected using an online survey including a discrete choice experiment. Participants completed 12 choice tasks, selecting between two hypothetical initiatives or opt-out. Initiatives varied across six attributes (mode, delivery format, setting, duration, program type, tailoring) each with three levels. Additional initiative elements (e.g., topics, providers, policy categories) were included in self-reported preference ratings. Descriptive statistics summarised survey responses and mixed multi-nominal logit model analysed the choice data for the total sample and subgroups based on differing socio-demographics.

Results
Caregivers (n=401) completed the survey, yielding 4812 choices. Majority of the attributes significantly influenced caregivers’ choice to participate in an initiative, all except for type of program delivery. Caregiver preferences varied across program attributes. Participants preferred in-person and one-on-one delivery in the home setting, and initiatives of low intensity/duration, tailored to individual families. Patterns of preferences were largely consistent in subgroup analyses by household income, education level and remoteness. The most preferred topics and policy categories were child wellbeing (67%) and providing services (66%), respectively.

Conclusion
To be most engaging and effective initiatives need to be designed to suit caregiver preferences. By prioritizing in-person, home-based, and tailored approaches, early childhood health initiatives can foster stronger connections with families. Recognizing the diversity of caregiver needs and values ensures that prevention strategies are more acceptable and can shape inclusive universal initiatives. Embedding caregiver voices at the heart of initiative design supports a people-centred approach to preventive child health. Findings will be translated through the TOPCHILD-Policy interactive web-based dashboard ‘Child Health Evidence Hub’.

Effective prevention planning requires timely, place-based intelligence. Public health partners across Melbourne’s south-east, spanning eleven Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 1.8 million people, identified a need for accessible, regionally relevant data to inform equitable prevention priorities. Fragmented access to local intelligence and limited opportunities for shared interpretation reduced the capacity to connect evidence with action.

The South East Public Health Unit (SEPHU) established a regional intelligence function to strengthen prevention planning and monitoring. SEPHU develops and disseminates a suite of epidemiological data packs, thematic reports, dashboards and LGA health profiles that bring together information on screening, immunisation, injury, risk factors and population demographics. These products, aligned with SEPHU’s Population Health Catchment Plan (2023–28), are shared with local councils, community health services and sector partners to support prevention planning and reporting.
Partnerships are supported through Regional Expert Advisory Groups (REAGs), which provide a platform for discussion, alignment of regional prevention priorities, and collective reflection on trends identified in SEPHU intelligence products. The SEPHU Public Health Symposium complements this approach by convening partners from local government, health and academia to share insights, showcase collaborative projects and strengthen capability in using data for prevention.

SEPHU’s intelligence products and data packs have been consistently well received by partners, supporting evidence-informed dialogue and coordination of regional priorities. REAG engagement has enhanced collaboration and increased confidence in interpreting local data, while symposium participation has reinforced a shared commitment to prevention intelligence.

Regional intelligence functions can embed prevention in people, place and partnership by providing relevant data, fostering shared learning and strengthening collaboration. SEPHU’s model demonstrates how trusted regional intelligence and partnership structures can connect evidence to action and promote equitable prevention across Melbourne’s south-east.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally, with ambient air pollution (AAP) recognised as a major environmental health threat, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While short-term exposure to AAP is consistently linked to increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, evidence on assessing the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing air pollution in LMICs, including Mongolia, remains limited. Our study results revealed that PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO pollutants were associated with a higher risk of admission for CVD, IHD and stroke, with NO2 and SO2 showing the strongest effects. The highest relative risks (RRs) for PM2.5 and CO occurred on the same day of exposure (Lag 0), whereas PM10, SO2, and NO2 showed the strongest associations at the two-day average (Lag 1). For each interquartile range (IQR) increase, the RRs of CVD admissions increased by 0.5% (PM2.5; RR=1.005, 95% CI: 0.998-1.012), 2.9% (PM10; RR=1.029, 95% CI: 1.014-1.044), 2.5% (SO2; RR=1.025, 95% CI: 1.010-1.040), 4.1% (NO2; RR=1.041, 95% CI: 1.016-1.068), and 0.3% (CO; RR=1.003, 95% CI: 0.995-1.012). O3 levels remained well below the WHO-AQG throughout the study period and were the only pollutant not positively associated with CVD admissions. Subgroup analyses further revealed that the health effects of air pollution were more pronounced among women, individuals under 65 years of age, and during the cold season, when pollution levels tend to be highest due to coal combustion for heating. Our research found that, after the NCB intervention, all criteria air pollutants, except O3, continued to exceed both the WHO-AQG and the Mongolian National Standards. Using robust epidemiological methods, short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and SO2 was positively associated with increased risks of CVD admissions and mortality, including IHD and stroke. While health risks associated with some pollutants were marginally reduced, NO₂ and SO₂- SO₂-associated CVD mortality increased post-intervention. Subgroup analyses revealed higher vulnerability among males, older adults (aged 65 years and above), and during the cold season, highlighting age- and gender-specific susceptibility. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted, evidence-based interventions, including the adoption of cleaner fuels, improved household heating technologies, and comprehensive air quality management strategies in UB. Producing country-specific evidence is crucial for evaluating policy effectiveness, reducing health-related costs, informing national regulations, and advancing global understanding of environmental factors to cardiovascular health, as well as providing valuable insights for other countries facing similar challenges.

Intro/Aims: Meal delivery apps (MDAs) have emerged as a disruptor to the food environment, increasing accessibility and promotion of unhealthy foods. While emerging evidence suggests that consumers are influenced by promotions in their use of MDAs, the display of promotional strategies, including outlet placement and price promotions on MDA home pages, remains unknown. This study examined the presence of such promotional strategies, and the relative healthiness of food outlets, on MDA home pages.
Method/Approach: A new method was developed to assess promotions and applied to the websites of the three leading MDAs in Australia. Each website was audited twice weekly over four weeks, across nine locations, including randomly selected low and high socio-economic areas, and the CBD of three Australian cities. The outlet names, promotional tags (e.g., “15% off (spend $30)”), placement categories (e.g., “National favourites”), and banner advertisements from all MDA home pages were extracted. Price promotions were classified as volume-based (e.g., “15% (spend $30)”), discount (e.g., “20% off your order”), or multi-offers (e.g., “2 offers available”). The DIGIASSESS index was used to assess the healthiness of associated food outlets.
Results: Preliminary results indicate that price promotions were prominent across all MDA home pages. Volume-based price promotions dominated, incentivising consumers to order larger quantities of food. Chain outlets were more frequently positioned in prominent placement categories. Results relating to the healthiness of food outlets are pending.
Conclusion: Price promotions appear to be an important marketing strategy employed by MDAs. Understanding how different types of price promotions influence consumption behaviour is an important next step in identifying public health implications of MDAs. Given the prominence and strong influence of price promotions in MDA use, novel policy interventions, such as restrictions on price promotions for unhealthy foods, are likely to encourage healthier food choices, but require comprehensive investigation.

Introduction: Preventive healthcare is a criterion in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) standards for general practice. The RACGP provides guidelines for evidence-based preventive activities in primary care and requires general practice registrars training to become specialist GPs to demonstrate preventive and population health in the assessment of their clinical competencies. Over the course of their community-based, apprenticeship-like training model, RACGP registrars are exposed to a range of conditions that characterise general practice. In the context of preventive health, this includes screening, case finding and preventive activities across the lifecycle. Prior to the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) project there was little research into the content of registrars’ consultations despite experiential learning’s importance to quality of training. ReCEnT aims to establish the consultation-based clinical and educational experiences of individual registrars.
Methods: ReCEnT, an ongoing inception cohort study conducted since 2010, comprises interrelated research and educational components. ReCEnT collects demographic information about registrars, information about their current training practices, and, once in each of three training terms, registrars record details of 60 consecutive patient consultations (data on the patient, the consultation, and actions taken related to the problems/diagnoses). Analysis of data uses standard techniques including linear, logistic, and mixed-effects regression modelling. Research questions are answered using mapping, exploratory and longitudinal analyses as well as testing efficacy of educational interventions.
Results: ReCEnT has mapped problems managed by general practice registrars, by disease classification, adult/paediatric patients, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, and by rural and socioeconomic location. Examples of exploratory analyses of associations of registrars’ clinical exposure to preventive health, include screening for chlamydia, absolute cardiovascular risk assessment, antenatal/postpartum care, and immunisation .
Conclusion: ReCEnT enables identification of training needs in preventive health and translation of subsequent evidence-based educational innovations into the GP training program.

Problem:
People living in regional Australia have lower five-year survival rates for all cancers combined compared with those living in major cities. Differences in symptom appraisal and help-seeking behaviour have been linked to a complex mix of cultural, social, and practical factors, including how symptoms are interpreted, perceived and real barriers to seeking care such as; optimism, stoicism, machismo, fear, embarrassment, and competing demands. In Western Australia (WA), these factors contribute to later cancer diagnosis and poorer survival.
What you did:
Find Cancer Early (FCE), an early diagnosis campaign, began in 2011 to help improve cancer survival in regional Western Australians. The latest campaign, Give yourself the best chance, includes personal stories that share their lived experience with cancer and encourage people to act early when they notice urgent cancer symptoms.
In response to research insights, community consultation, and ad testing, messages were simplified with clear, conversational plain, positively framed language. Campaign content was localised to regional areas, personal stories from Aboriginal people were built in, and Cancer Council’s Aboriginal Advisory Group were consulted on campaign materials.
In March 2025, an online post campaign survey was undertaken to evaluate the campaign’s credibility and effectiveness amongst regional Western Australians over 40 years.
Results :
The online survey was completed by 749 regional Western Australians, among the 72% of survey respondents who recognised the Give yourself the best chance campaign (n=558), 98% agreed the ads were easy to understand, 97% found them believable, and 94% said they could be trusted. A further 79% found them personally relevant.
Lessons:
Simplifying the language, using real local (including culturally relevant) personal stories and taking on board external feedback helped the campaign resonate with regional communities. FCE demonstrates that prevention efforts are most powerful when communities feel seen, heard, and represented

Cancer incidence in Australia continues to rise, largely due to both an increasing and ageing population. (1) More than 4.5 million cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in Australia between 2020 to 2044, (2) and treatment advancements alone will be insufficient to address this increased cancer burden, highlighting the strong need to invest in prevention efforts.

We know that there are several key modifiable risk factors for cancer, including tobacco use, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, alcohol use, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, and dietary factors. Estimates for Australia have indicated that 38% of cancer deaths could be attributed to modifiable risk factors. (3) There is a strong economic case for investment in prevention, as health system spending in Australia was highest for cancer, responsible for $19.7 billion in 2023-2024, (4) and modifiable risk factors contribute significantly to health spending, including overweight and obesity ($7 billion), tobacco ($4.6 billion), and alcohol use ($3.1 billion). (5)

Cancer Council Australia have a suite of national cancer prevention policies which are evidence-based and used to make recommendations for action by government, and other non-government organisations. Given that many of the risk factors for cancer are shared with other chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, these policies have broader value for population health beyond cancer control. Cancer Council calls for collaborative, multi-sectoral action, in which the government and other public health organisations coordinate efforts around shared risk factors, and develop unified prevention messaging.

Our presentation will explore how we advocate for investment in cancer prevention through our cancer prevention policies, which provide priority actions across a range of modifiable risk factors. We will also demonstrate examples of how we collaborate with public health organisations, through shared advocacy and joint submissions to national consultations to maximise impact and reduce the burden of cancer and chronic conditions in Australia.

References:
1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cancer data in Australia. Canberra: AIHW; 2025.
2. Luo Q, O’Connell DL, Yu XQ, Kahn C, Caruana M, Pesola F, et al. Cancer incidence and mortality in Australia from 2020 to 2044 and an exploratory analysis of the potential effect of treatment delays during the COVID-19 pandemic: a statistical modelling study. The Lancet Public Health. 2022;7(6):e537–e48.
3. Wilson LF, Antonsson A, Green AC, Jordan SJ, Kendall BJ, Nagle CM, et al. How many cancer cases and deaths are potentially preventable? Estimates for Australia in 2013. International Journal of Cancer. 2018;142(4):691–701.
4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health expenditure. Canberra: AIHW; 2025.
5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health system spending per case of disease and for certain risk factors. Canberra: AIHW; 2025.