Australasian Society of Behavioural Health and Medicine Annual Conference 2024 (ASBHM2024): ASBHM2024, held in Adelaide, South Australia, from February 7th to 9th, brought leading clinicians and researchers together to showcase innovative research in health psychology and behavioural medicine. Keynote speakers, including Professor Molly Byrne, Associate Professor Amanda Rebar, and Professor Deborah Turnbull, delivered insights on behaviour change research, the power of habits in health behaviours, and improving men’s engagement with mental health services. The conference offered in-person attendance with an online recording access option for all 103 oral presentations delivered across all 3 days. Looking ahead, ASBHM2025 is set to take place in the Gold Coast, promising another engaging and informative event. For more details, visit the official ASBHM website (www.asbhm.com).
Chris Kilby, Organizing Committee.
Minalli Vasandani PhD candidate at Griffith University, Australia.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests?
I am a specialized Dentist in Periodontology and Implantology. I completed my second master’s degree in Health Services Management from Griffith University and worked as a Senior Health Services Manager in the Australian Health Sector. I have over a decade of experience in the healthcare sector as a professional, educator, and researcher, nationally and internationally. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD, which focuses on improving oral health practices in pregnant women through behaviour change strategies.
What first interested you in this field of research?
The low adoption of oral health advice by pregnant women and the insufficient knowledge about the correlation between oral health and overall health caught my attention. Realizing the possibility of interventions that can enhance outcomes and decrease the burden on the healthcare system, I explored behaviour change techniques to promote favourable change.
Can you briefly explain the research you presented at ASBHM 2024?
The research I presented at ASBHM 2024 is centred around enhancing oral health practices in pregnant women through behaviour change strategies. The proverb “a tooth per child” underscores the connection between pregnancy and oral health, given the hormonal changes, dietary shifts, and other factors elevating the risk of oral diseases during this period. Further, the significance of maintaining good oral hygiene during pregnancy is critical considering its implications for pre-term births and overall maternal health. Models and theories of social cognition have been widely used to understand and intervene to change health behaviours. However, little is known about the social cognition factors underpinning oral hygiene behaviours in pregnant women. The systematic review conducted synthesizes empirical evidence on social cognition constructs associated with oral hygiene behaviours in pregnant women. The review identifies attitude, self-efficacy, social support, and motivation as significant factors influencing oral hygiene practices, including the crucial behaviour of visiting the dentist during pregnancy. The findings underscore the need for future empirical research grounded in theory and suggest the potential to inform targeted interventions for improving oral health in pregnant women.
How will you continue to build on this research?
The next steps are to conduct formative research through the application of social cognition models to identify key salient beliefs underpinning the decisions relating to dental check-ups among pregnant women. Subsequently testing the predictions of dual phase and dual process integrated models to provide a more comprehensive explanation of the conscious and non-conscious processes involved in decision-making. Additionally, we plan to explore aspiring health professionals’ knowledge, confidence, and perspectives regarding antenatal dental care, aiming for a comprehensive understanding and alignment between care providers and pregnant women.
Jessica Bell PhD Candidate, University of Newcastle, Australia.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests?
I have a professional background spanning research, clinical practice, and policy. I am currently completing my PhD through the National Centre of Implementation Science and am dedicated to influencing health behaviours by promoting the systematic integration of evidence-based practices into real-world settings. The focus of my PhD is to identify national priorities for school-based obesity prevention, with a particular emphasis on nutrition and physical activity interventions.
What first interested you in this field of research?
I was initially drawn to this field of research due to its practical approach in bridging the gap between research and real-world application. Within this domain, the focus on school-based healthy eating and physical activity interventions captivated me because of its potential to directly impact youth health outcomes, addressing crucial societal needs at a foundational level. The opportunity to contribute to evidence-based strategies that promote wellness in educational settings resonates deeply with my passion for fostering healthier communities.
Can you briefly explain the research you presented at ASBHM 2024?
At ASBHM 2024, I presented the preliminary and unweighted results of a cross-sectional study of Australian primary schools, which aimed to determine the current prevalence of implementation of healthy eating and physical activity intervention components in Australian primary schools. This is the first national survey to determine the prevalence of healthy eating and physical activity intervention components in Australian primary schools. The findings will contribute valuable insights into the current health promotion initiatives in education, and allow identification of evidence-practice gaps to inform implementation support.
How will you continue to build on this research?
This study has generated evidence to inform the prioritisation of effective healthy eating and physical activity interventions and identify evidence-practice gaps to inform where support is warranted and provide essential information to policy and decision makers. Interventions that are effective in improving children’s health, that we now know have low levels of implementation in schools, such as physical activity information to parents, or free fruit and vegetables, may warrant further strategic consideration to improve adoption in primary schools. From there, we will conduct a national study with policymakers to identify which interventions should be prioritised for implementation.
Daniel Brown Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland, Australia.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests?
I’m a Clinical Psychologist at the Centre for Relational and Sexual Wellbeing and a Lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland. I enjoy thinking about why we do what we do, and this translates in a couple of ways to my research. First, I have interests in understanding experiences of “connection and disconnection”. This is particularly influenced by my experience as a clinician and treating people who have many attachment-related issues. They may feel deeply alone, despite being surrounded by people, or feel smothered, despite also feeing shut out. I, therefore, explore topics such as loneliness, attachment orientations, positive solitude, and sex. I also like thinking about psychological theory, as there is “nothing more practical like a good theory”. Understanding the role of automatic processes, such as habit, along with intentional processes are of particular interests.
What first interested you in this field of research?
It is something that has developed over time. I don’t think a decade ago I would necessarily believe I would be doing research on health psychology theory development or have such specific interests in sex and sexual function. However, that’s the beauty of doing research and working within a team. I was exposed to interesting ideas and overtime I have become the clinician/researcher I am now.
Can you briefly explain the research you presented at ASBHM 2024?
I presented on research that explored community reflections on the use and representations of “habit”. Essentially, I asked “lay” people (non-experts) how they define, use, and understand what a habit is. Understanding lay-representations of terms such as “habit” is useful as it can helps scientists understand how people understand why they do certain behaviours, how they might be interpreting measures of these constructs, and understanding any other variance in the way the community understand the construct. If there are consistent ways individuals misunderstand a concept, it helps scientists and clinicians adapt their interventions to ensure everyone is on the same page.
How will you continue to build on this research?
I will continue to explore the role of habit in our behaviours. I’m interested in understanding how much of our lives need to be consciously enacted compared to automatically enacted. I will likely explore the conditions in which habits may be able to be developed more or less easily (e.g., what is the role of affect in the development of emotions).