$1.18 Million Grant to Advance Research on Life Expectancy in Australia

Associate Professor Tim Adair, Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health has been awarded a grant from the Australian Research Council's prestigious Future Fellowships scheme.

The $1.18m grant will fund research to advance knowledge about life expectancy in Australia by strengthening the policy utility of mortality statistics.  Accurate and comprehensive mortality statistics are essential for identifying public health threats, monitoring trends over time, evaluating the effectiveness of existing initiatives, and revealing disparities in health outcomes across different populations.

"Accurate data on the causes of mortality is essential for developing effective public health policies to combat threats to continued improvements in life expectancy," said A/Prof Adair. "This research will provide improved evidence on levels, trends and inequalities related to leading causes of death in Australia."

A/Professor Adair’s project will develop innovative methods using linked data to quantify under-reporting of cause-specific mortality and to measure mortality from co-morbidities and leading risk factors. Intended outcomes are improved evidence of levels, trends and inequalities of co-morbidities and leading risk factors of mortality. This is expected to provide essential evidence to inform programs to accelerate improvements and reduce inequalities in Australia's life expectancy.

The four-year grant, scheduled to commence in 2024, highlights the University of Melbourne's leadership in demographic research and commitment to improving population health outcomes.