As we approach the end of 2021, we’re sharing our pick of highlights of the research undertaken and papers published using Raine Study data in the second part of the year. (For our round-up of published research highlights from January-August 2021, please click here.)
As ever, we’re very proud of the breadth and range of research topics enabled by our participants’ ongoing involvement in the Raine Study. A total of 49 papers based on Raine Study data were published in the period January-December 2021. Highlights include:
- High blood pressure risks start in utero: Royal Perth Hospital Foundation and UWA Medical School Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Dr Chi Le-Ha was lead investigator for a study using Raine Study data, which showed that young adults who had higher testosterone levels in their umbilical cord blood at birth tended to have high blood pressure by their 20s. Published in the journal Hypertension, these world-first findings could be used to help prevent high blood pressure, the number one cause of preventable death worldwide.
- The evolution of personality traits: Curtin University researchers Associate Professor Patrick Dunlop, Professor Sharon Evans along with Dr Anupama Bharadwaj from Curtin’s Future of Work Institute used Raine Study data in their investigation of the factors that shape a person’s personality over time in the journal Personality & Individual Differences.
- Teenage or adult pain in the neck? Curtin University researcher Dr Karen Richards was interviewed by New Scientist magazine about her paper which showed that bad posture in teenagers is not a direct indicator of the risk of persistent neck pain in adults. Her original paper was published in the journal Physical Therapy in February 2021.
- Active kids lead to healthy adults: Researchers from Curtin University found that participation in sport and physical activity during the childhood and adolescent period should be encouraged as it may lead to better cardio and respiratory fitness outcomes in adulthood. (Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport)
- Smoking is bad for your vision: Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the Lions Eye Institute used Raine Study data to demonstrate the link between tobacco smoking and thinning of the retina.
- Early to bed…: Lead investigator Associate Professor Joanne McVeigh from Curtin University lead a study that determined the link between poor sleep behaviours in childhood and poor physical and mental health in early adulthood (Acta Paediatrica)
- Developmental psychology: Dr Eleanor Carey from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland led a study published in the journal Psychological Medicine exploring the possible links between cognitive and motor disfunction in early childhood, and hallucinatory experiences in later adolescence.
- Understanding the genetic basis of pain: Researchers from Curtin University explored the genetic and environmental causes of musculoskeletal pain and heightened pain sensitivity (Pain)