society culture health

Society, Culture & Health

Using social science theory and methods to understand the social and cultural determinants of health and how society produces the lived experience of health.

About

The society, culture and health research group contributes new thinking using social science theory and methods to understand the social and cultural determinants of health and how society produces the lived experience of health. We seek to understand how health is experienced and produced within an ecological public health framework - adopting both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Much of our research incorporates a focus on health inequities - with a focus on inequities generated by gender, age, social roles (e.g. paid and unpaid work), evolving cultural practices, and both economic and non-economic resources (e.g. income, time, social support).

Projects and sub-themes include:

  • Addressing the Hour-glass Ceiling: New case for action on gender inequality
  • Work hours and health for construction workers
  • Work hours, working conditions, work attributes and effects on health
  • Working longer, working well, and keeping productive
  • MC2020 Partners Study - new parents’ health following smoke & bushfire events
  • Social singing to support the wellbeing of migrant and refugee mothers
  • The Great Disruption: Work, caregiving and health post COVID
  • Socio-cultural contributors to obesity in Australia and Thailand
  • The COVID-19 Clinical Response Review 
  • The Relations Study: Women who use drugs and their children within the health and welfare system
     

Publications

Bennetts, S.K., Hokke, S., Crawford, S., Hackworth, N.J., Leach, L.S. Nguyen, C. Nicholson J.M. & Cooklin, A.R. (accepted 11th December 2018). Using paid and free Facebook methods to recruit Australian parents to an online work-family survey: An evaluation. Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Brown R. Muller, T & Olsen, A. (2019). Australian women’s cervical cancer screening attendance as a function of screening barriers and facilitators. Social Science & Medicine 220, 396-402. 

Alam M, Banwell C, Olsen A & Lokuge K (2019) Patients and doctors perception on utility of Telemedicine service for maternal and child healthcare in Bangladesh: a qualitative exploratory study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth (accepted).

Chun J, Olsen A, Taing MW, Clavarino A, Hollingworth S, Dwyer R, Middleton M & Nielsen S. (2019) How prepared are pharmacists to provide over-the-counter naloxone? The role of previous education and new training opportunities. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy (accepted)

Olsen A, Lawton B, Dwyer R, Taing MW, Chun J, Hollingworth S & Nielsen S. (2019) Why aren’t Australian pharmacists supplying naloxone? Findings from a qualitative study. International Journal of Drug Policy (accepted).

Zhao, Y, Richardson, A., Poyser, C., Butterworth, P., Strazdins, L., & Leach, L. (Accepted 10 April 2019). Shift work and mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health.

Sarma, H., Gerth-Guyette, E., Shakil, S.A., Alom, K.R., Abu-Haydar, E., D’Rozario, M., Tariqujjaman, M, Arifee, S. E., and Ahmed, T. “Evaluating the use of job aids and user instructions to improve adherence for the treatment of childhood pneumonia using amoxicillin dispersible tablets in a low-income setting: a mixed method study”. BMJ Open 2019;9:e024978. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024978.

Projects

This project involves investigating association between sleep quality rating and SF36 mental health measure

Status

Current

People

This potential project investigates socio-economic and employment factors that affect health behaviours such as sleep, nutrition, and physical exercise, and impact of those factors on body weight. We also look at how these aspects influence gender inequality in health behaviours and health outcomes.

Status

Potential

People

This project aims to examine the effect of tobacco control program on smoking prevalence and smoking behaviours amongst Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people in Australia 

Status

Completed

People

This project aims to estimate causal effect of sleep quality/sleep issues on mental health 

Status

Current

People

This project can look at how employment, time use, inequality (economic, time use) affect health behaviors (sleep, nutrition, exercise) and health outcomes

Status

Current

People

This project builds a unique portfolio partnership – between employment, social services, workplace health and social justice – to ascertain the interconnections between jobs, health, workplaces and equity.

Status

Completed

People

Members

Leader

Researcher

Dr  Tinh (Jimmy) Doan

Research Fellow

Dr Jinhu Li

Senior Research Fellow

Honorary Associate Professor

Student

PhD Candidate

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PhD Candidate#Research Assistant

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PhD Candidate

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PhD Candidate

No photo provided

PhD Candidate

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PhD Candidate

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