Children and Adolescents
The Children and Adolescents theme includes research staff, research students and professional staff from a variety of backgrounds including physiotherapy and chiropractic.
Investment in child and adolescent health has a triple benefit; for young people today, for tomorrow’s adults, and for the next generation. Despite evidence that hints at the considerable prevalence and burden of pain in children, research aimed at understanding causes, impacts and management has been neglected. The Children and Adolescents theme will generate and disseminate evidence to help parents, carers and health professionals better understand and treat pain in young people.
Collaborative projects
The intention of the trial is to evaluate if a healthy lifestyle program leads to a significant decrease in disability compared to usual care.
The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of a coordinated care program that includes: evidence-based advice and education for low back pain; and telephone-based lifestyle, weight management and smoking cessation counselling. Patients randomised to the intervention group will receive a coordinated care intervention targeting healthy lifestyle, with two components: a) clinical intervention from a physiotherapist and dietitian; and b) referral to telephone-based health coaching for weight management (diet and exercise via the NSW Get Healthy Service), and smoking cessation (counselling by the NSW Quitline) for those participants who identify as smokers. Patients allocated to the control group will receive usual care management via a hospital physiotherapy department. This may include up to three clinical appointments.
This study is currently recruiting. You may be eligible to participate in this study if you are 18 years of age or older with low back pain of more than three months duration, and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater or equal to 25 kg/m2.
Principal Investigator: Dr Christopher Williams
Institute for Musculoskeletal Health Investigator: Professor Steve Kamper
For more information about this Centre for Pain, Health and Lifestyle project, please contact Emma Robson. This study has received ethics approval from the Hunter New England Research Ethics & Governance Office and is funded by the NHMRC.
View the full text article HERE.
Theme Leaders
Professor Steven Kamper
BSc(Hons), BAppSc(Phty), PhD
Professor Steven Kamper is a Principal Research Fellow at the Sydney School of Public Health and holds a Career Development Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council. He has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has received over $2 million in competitive research funding from Australia, Ireland, Canada, and Norway. Professor Kamper is the editor of the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, associate editor in the Cochrane Back and Neck Group, Vice-chair of the Executive Organising Committee of the International Back and Neck Pain Forum, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Australia New Zealand Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network.