Introducing the Asthma Media Awards:

The National Asthma Council Australia will be reinstating its prestigious Asthma Media Awards for professional journalists in 2010 as a feature activity to coincide with the Council’s 21st anniversary.

The Awards celebrate the important role the media plays in asthma education in Australia and will be open to professional journalists from all media sectors – print, broadcast and internet.  

Typically, winning stories are those that provide a balanced and accurate report of asthma issues; demystify the complexities of asthma; portray a realistic picture of what it is like to live with asthma; and, encourage medical professionals to continually update their knowledge and practice of asthma management.

Journalists are invited to submit asthma-related stories published or broadcast during the 2009/10 financial year. For information on Award categories and how to enter contact the National Asthma Council Australia’s media and public relations consultants Ward Communications.

The Awards will be presented at a special evening to mark the National Asthma Council Australia’s 21st anniversary in Melbourne in August, 2010.

2010 – Year of the Lung

The Year of the Lung kicks off in Mexico

CANCUN - The Year of the Lung campaign was officially launched at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of lung health, generate social and political support for preventing and treating lung disease, and increase public and private funding for lung research. It represents a global effort to unite health advocates in the field in developing new prevention strategies and treatments with the ultimate purpose of impacting positively on the lives of the hundreds of millions of people who suffer from lung disease.

Despite the huge importance of respiratory health, a common lung health strategy has long been missing from the global political and social agenda.

The Year of the Lung will be an intensive global 12-month campaign to correct this omission, lead by seven major respiratory societies. Its aim is to drive legislative, political and public opinion towards measurable improvements in funding, research and development, basic lung health screening, smoking cessation and public education about lung function and care.

For more information please visit: www.2010yearofthelung.org

Didgeridoo assists asthma control

Remote Indigenous Australian Asthma Action Plan

Research undertaken in Queensland and recently published in the Journal of Rural Health, shows the potential value playing a didgeridoo may have for a person with asthma in helping control of their symptoms and improving their quality of life.

While this study focused on didgeridoo playing for boys, the benefits of playing wind instruments and swimming have been advocated for many years as a means of helping to control asthma symptoms.

Although the girls involved in the study undertook singing lessons only, there was improvement in their health as well as a perceived improvement in their asthma.  

The researchers concluded that “The intervention has particular significance to rural environments where Indigenous people tend to reside." 

Didgeridoo Playing and Singing to Support Asthma Management In Aboriginal Australians

Abstract

Context: Asthma affects over 15% of Australian Aboriginal people. Compliance in asthma management is poor. Interventions that will increase compliance are required.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine whether Aboriginal children, adolescents and adults would engage in music lessons to increase their knowledge of asthma and support management of their asthma.

Methods: Participants were recruited from schools and through the local Aboriginal Medical Service. All participants identified as Aborigines and were diagnosed as being asthmatic. The intervention was a 6-month program of once weekly music lessons using a culturally significant wind instrument, the didgeridoo, for males and singing lessons for females.

Findings: High school students enthusiastically engaged and had excellent retention in what they considered to be a most enjoyable program. Respiratory function improved significantly in both junior and senior boys who also reported a noticeable improvement in their health. Similar but less significant improvement was seen in the high school girls, although like the boys, they too perceived an improvement in their asthma.

Conclusions: The project demonstrated that music has great potential for engaging and thus supporting asthma. Furthermore, cultural awareness was increased by those playing the didgeridoo and social skills were noticeably improved in the girls. Similar culturally appropriate activities have applications far beyond Aboriginal communities in Australia.

Reference

Eley R, Gorman D. Didgeridoo playing and singing to support asthma management in Aboriginal Australians. J Rural Health 2010; 26(1): 100-104. 

Resources

Asthma Action Plans for Indigenous Australians

National Medicines Symposium 2010

Registration and call for abstracts

The National Prescribing Service is once again hosting the National Medicines Symposium (NMS) and is calling for abstracts from across the health sector.

Now in its sixth biennium, NMS 2010 will be held at the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre from 26-28 May 2010.

“The theme of NMS 2010 is Medicines in people’s live, which enables us to address quality use of medicines in the wider context of changes within the health sector, including reforms and new prescribers,” NPS CEO, Dr Lynn Weekes said.

“The National Medicines Symposium is unique in bringing together everyone involved with medicines use, including primary healthcare providers, specialists, policy makers, academics and international experts. It transcends industry silos and provides those working at the coalface the opportunity to share expertise, experience and opinion, and benefit from discussion with industry peers,” Dr Weekes said.

NMS 2010 will include a number of panel sessions with key opinion leaders addressing political issues, as well as in-depth clinical presentations from leading clinicians and academics.

Health professionals, academics, researchers and policy analysts are invited to submit abstracts for oral presentation or poster display during NMS. Topics may cover clinical practice, education, research, complementary medicines, leadership, policy, innovations or future directions for quality use of medicines and must address the theme, Medicine in people’s lives.

“A key component of NMS has always been the high-quality abstracts presented by national and international health professionals and medicines experts. This allows those working at the forefront of medicines use the opportunity to showcase their work and gives other delegates deeper insight to some of the issues,” Dr Weekes said.

Full details of NMS including registration and abstract requirements are available at http://www.nms2010.org.au/

Dates for your diary:

Call for Abstracts deadline: 19 February 2010
Early Bird Registration deadline: 19 April 2010

Research Funding Opportunities

Asthma Foundation of Queensland

Research Grants 2011

Applications are invited for grants in research relating to Asthma. The research, which must be undertaken in Queensland, may be in either basic medical sciences or clinical fields.

Grants will be awarded only to individuals and to institutions with access to appropriate research facilities under the supervision of a responsible investigator. Grants may cover salaries for research, technical, or other assistance as well as the cost of minor equipment, materials and other necessary items.

The Foundation is keen to encourage new researchers, and has made available a portion of the 2011 research grant funds to newcomers commencing their research careers.

As an indication for applicants, over the past five years, grants have ranged from $15,000 to $96,000 but applications above and below these values will still be considered and assessed upon merit.

Further information and application forms are available for downloading at the foundation’s website or from:-

Chief Executive Officer
The Asthma Foundation of Queensland
PO Box 394
Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Telephone: (07) 3252 7677 or 1800 645 130
Facsimile: 07 3257 1080
Web: http://www.asthmaqld.org.au/  

Conference Diary

Submit brief conference/meeting details to the National Asthma Council Australia for possible posting in our Conference Diary by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2010
	2010 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Respiratory Science 19–22 March 2010 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Queensland, Australia www.anzsrs.org.au
	2010 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australian and New Zealand 20–24 March 2010 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Queensland, Australia www.thoracic.org.au
	2010 American Thoracic Society International Conference May 14-19, 2010 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA www.thoracic.org
	National Medicines Symposium 2010 26-28 May 2010  Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre Melbourne VIC www.nms2010.org.au/
	The 5th IPCRG World Conference: 2010 Making every breath count 2-5 June 2010 Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Toronto, Canada  www.ipcrg-toronto2010.org
	INTERASMA World Congress 3-6 November Athens, Greece wca2010.gr/pages/en/welcome.php
	8th Asia Pacific Congress of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (APCAACI 2010)  6-9 November 2010  Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre  http://www.apcaaci2010.org/  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it