Research Publications - Colac Area Health

Older Adults

Beks, H., Clayden, S., West, E., King, O., Alston, L., Williams, S., Sayner, A., Huggins, C., McNamara, K., Gaffy, E., & Wong Shee, A. (2024). Translating policy into practice by engaging older persons and their carers as co-researchers. Deeble Perspectives Brief 29. Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, Australia. Translating policy into practice by engaging older persons and their carers as co-researchers – AHHA

Needham, C., Wheaton, N., Wong Shee, A., McNamara, K., Malakellis, M., Murray, M., Alston, L., Peeters, A., Ugalde, A., Huggins, C., Yoong, S., & Allender, S. (2023). Enhancing healthcare at home for older people in rural and regional Australia: A protocol for co-creation to design and implement system change. PloS One, 18(9), e0290386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290386

Hill, C., Clapham, R. P., Buccheri, A., Field, M., Wong Shee, A., & Alston, L. (2022). Assessing adherence and exploring barriers to provision of prescribed texture modifications for dysphagia in a residential aged care facility in rural Australia. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 24(1), 67-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2021.1953144

Cellulitis

Bishop, J., Jones, M., Farquharson, J., Summerhayes, K., Tucker, R., Smith, M., Cowan, R., Friedman, N.D., Schulz, T., Kong, D., Buising, K. (2021). Implementation of a Cellulitis Management Plan in Three Australian Regional Health Services to Address an Evidence–Practice Gap in Antibiotic Prescribing. Antibiotics, 10(11), 1288. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10111288

Covid-19

Watkins, V.J., Wong Shee, A., Field, M., Alston, L., Hills, D., Albrecht, S.L., Ockerby, C., Hutchinson, A.M. (2024). Rural healthcare workforce preparation, response, and work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: Lessons learned from in-depth interviews with rural health service leaders. Health Policy, 145 (2024), 105085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2024.105085

King, O. A., Buccheri, A., Isaacs, A., Bishop, J., Alston, L., Versace, V. L., Wong Shee, A., Sourlos, N., Imran, D., Jacobs, J., Murphy, F., Kennelly, M., & Field, M. (2023). The Community, the Workplace, and Public Health Measures: A Qualitative Study of Factors that Impacted the Wellbeing of Rural Health Service Staff in Victoria, Australia, during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Health & Social Care in the Community, 2023, e5556980. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/5556980

Kent, K., Alston, L., Murray, S., Honeychurch, B., & Visentin, D. (2022). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural Food Security in High Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 1-29. doi:10.3390/ijerph19063235

NIHR Global Health Unit on Global Surgery, COVIDSurg Collaborative. (2022). Elective surgery system strengthening: development, measurement, and validation of the surgical preparedness index across 1632 hospitals in 119 countries. The Lancet, 400(10363), 1607-1617. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01846-3

COVIDSurg Collaborative, & GlobalSurg Collaborative (2022). SARS-CoV-2 infection and venous thromboembolism after surgery: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia, 77(1), 28–39. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34428858/

COVIDSurg Collaborative, GlobalSurg Collaborative (2021). SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study. The British Journal of Surgery, 108(9), 1056–1063. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjs/znab101

COVIDSurg Collaborative, & GlobalSurg Collaborative (2021). Timing of surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia, 76(6), 748–758. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33690889/

COVIDSurg Collaborative, & GlobalSurg Collaborative (2021). Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia, 76(11), 1454–1464. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34371522/

Whelan, J., Brown, A. D., Coller, L., Strugnell, C., Allender, S., Alston, L. Hayward, J., Brimblecombe, J., & Bell, C. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on rural food supply and demand in Australia: Utilising group model building to identify retailer and customer perspectives. Nutrients, 13(2), 1-11. doi:10.3390/nu13020417

Disability

Quilliam, C., O’Shea, A., Holgate, N., & Alston, L. (2022). Starting with us: Imagining relational, co-designed policy approaches to improve healthcare access for rural people with disability. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 30(6), 809-815. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35724308/

Dysphagia

Hill, C. L., Heard, R., Morrison, L., Alston, L., Brown, C., Skontra, C., Beggs, R., & King, O. A. (2024). Exploring multidisciplinary team members’ experiences of supporting eating and drinking with acknowledged risk in healthcare and aged care settings. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2024.2434224

Family Violence

Kelly, P., Field, M., Payne, R., Giallo, R. (2022). Examining a rural Victorian community’s knowledge and help seeking behaviour for family violence and the role of the local public health service. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 30, 631– 642. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9796544/

Health workforce

Buccheri, A., Field, M., King, O., Isaacs, A., Wong Shee, A., Bishop, J., Kennelly, M., Imran, D., Versace, V. L., Jacobs, J., Wood, E., Fuller, L., Ottrey, E., Rasmussen, B., Holton, S., McKenzie, K., Holmes, T., & Alston, L. (2022, December). Support for staff supporting rural Australians. Partyline. https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/partyline/article/support-staff-supporting-rural-australians

Beks, H., Walsh, S., Alston, L., Jones, M., Smith, T., Maybery, D., Sutton, K., & Versace, V. L. (2022). Approaches Used to Describe, Measure and Analyze Place of Practice in Dentistry, Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Rural Graduate Workforce Research in Australia: A Systematic Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1-16. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031438

Imran, D., Rog, K., Gallichio, J., & Alston, L. (2021). The challenges of becoming and being a clinician manager: a qualitative exploration of the perception of medical doctors in senior leadership roles at a large Australian health service. BMC health services research, 21, 1-9. doi:10.1186/s12913-021-06356-w

Heart Disease

Alston, L., Nichols, M., Allender, S., et al. (2023). Dietary patterns in rural and metropolitan Australia: a cross-sectional study exploring dietary patterns, inflammation and association with cardiovascular disease risk factors. BMJ Open. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069475

Alston, L., Jacobs, J., Allender, S., & Nichols, M. (2020). A comparison of the modelled impacts on CVD mortality if attainment of public health recommendations was achieved in metropolitan and rural Australia. Public Health Nutrition, 23(2), 339-347. doi:10.1017/S136898001900199X

Alston, L., Bourke, L., Nichols, M., & Allender, S. (2020). Responsibility for evidence-based policy in cardiovascular disease in rural communities: Implications for persistent rural health inequalities. Australian health review, 44(4), 527-534. doi:10.1071/AH19189

Alston, L., Nichols, M., & Allender, S. (2019). Policy makers’ perceptions of the high burden of heart disease in rural Australia: Implications for the implementation of evidence-based rural health policy. PLoS ONE, 14(4), 16 pages. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0215358

Alston, L., Allender, S., Jacobs, J., & Nichols, M. (2018). PO471 Public Health Recommendations and the Differences In Ischaemic Heart Disease Mortality In Rural and Metropolitan Australia- the Best Case Scenario. Global Heart, 13(4), 476. doi:10.1016/j.gheart.2018.09.359

Jacobs, J., Peterson, K. L., Allender, S., Alston, L. V., & Nichols, M. (2018). Regional variation in cardiovascular mortality in Australia 2009–2012: the impact of remoteness and socioeconomic status. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 42(5), 467-473. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12807

Alston, L., Peterson, K. L., Jacobs, J. P., Allender, S., & Nichols, M. (2017). Quantifying the role of modifiable risk factors in the differences in cardiovascular disease mortality rates between metropolitan and rural populations in Australia: A macrosimulation modelling study. BMJ Open, 7(11), 9 pages. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018307

Alston, L., Allender, S., Peterson, K., Jacobs, J., & Nichols, M. (2017). Rural Inequalities in the Australian Burden of Ischaemic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review. Heart Lung and Circulation, 26(2), 122-133. doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2016.06.1213

Alston, L. V., Peterson, K. L., Jacobs, J. P., Allender, S., & Nichols, M. (2016). A systematic review of published interventions for primary and secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in rural populations of Australia. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 11 pages. doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3548-1

Nutrition

Hill, A., Blake, M., Alston, L., Nichols, M., Bell, C., Fraser, P., . . . Bolton, K. (2023). How healthy and affordable are foods and beverages sold in school canteens? A cross-sectional study comparing menus from Victorian primary schools. Public Health Nutrition, 26(11), 2559-2572. doi:10.1017/S136898002300126X

Needham, C., Strugnell, C., Allender, S., Alston, L., & Orellana, L. (2023). BMI and the food retail environment in Melbourne, Australia: Associations and temporal trends. Nutrients, 15(21), 4503. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15214503

Wheaton, N., Alston, E., Versace, V. L., Field, M., Wong Shee, A., Jacobs, J., Backholer, K., Allender, S., Nichols, M., Needham, C., Bolton, K. A., Blake, M. R., Stewart, F., Close, E., & Alston, L. (2023). Diet-related disease prevention in a rural Australian setting: Understanding barriers, enablers, and the role of rural health services in supporting changes in local rural food environments. Nutrients, 15(23), 4979. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234979

Godrich, S. L., Doe, J., Goodwin, S., Alston, L., & Kent, K. (2023). A scoping review of the impact of Food Policy Groups on local food systems in high-income countries. Nutrition Research Reviews, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954422423000173

Livingstone, K. M., Rawstorn, J. C., Partridge, S. R., Godrich, S. L., McNaughton, S. A., Hendrie, G. A., Blekkenhorst, L. C., Maddison, R., Zhang, Y., Barnett, S., Mathers, J. C., Packard, M., & Alston, L. (2023). Digital behaviour change interventions to increase vegetable intake in adults: A systematic review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 20(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-023-01439-9

Jacobs, J., Strugnell, C., Becker, D., Whelan, J., Hayward, J., Nichols, M. Brown, A., Brown, V., Allender, S., Bell, C., Sangiorski, A., Orellana, L., & Alston, L. (2023). Understanding weight status and dietary intakes among Australian school children by remoteness: A cross-sectional study. Public Health Nutrition. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980023000198

Alston, L., Raeside, R., Jia, S. S., & Partridge, S. R. (2022). Underinvestment in nutrition research for at-risk populations: An analysis of research funding awarded in Australia from 2014 to 2021. Nutrition and Dietetics, 79(4), 438-446. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35506173/

Alston, L., Green, M., Nichols, M., Partridge, S. R., Buccheri, A., Bolton, K. A., Versace, V. L., Field, M., Launder, A. J., Lily, A., Allender, S., & Orellana, L. (2022). Testing the Accuracy of a Bedside Screening Tool Framework to Clinical Records for Identification of Patients at Risk of Malnutrition in a Rural Setting: An Exploratory Study. Nutrients, 14(1), 205. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010205

Gupta, A., Alston, L., Needham, C., Robinson, E., Marshall, J., Boelsen-Robinson, T., Blake, M.R., Huggins, C.E., & Peeters, A. (2022). Factors Influencing Implementation, Sustainability and Scalability of Healthy Food Retail Interventions: A Systematic Review of Reviews. Nutrients, 14(2), 1-18. doi:10.3390/nu14020294

Alston, L., Versace, V., Brown, E., Nichols, M., Whelan, J., Bolton, K. A., Sacks, G., Needham, C., Orellana, L., & Allender, S. (2021). Understanding the healthfulness of outlets providing lunch and dinner meals: a census of a rural food retail environment in Victoria, Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45(1), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13057

Alston, L., & Partridge, S. R. (2021). Limited dietary interventions in rural Australian communities: a systematic review. Nutrition and dietetics, 78, 57-68. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32160401/

Alston, L., Green, M., Versace, V. L., Bolton, K.A., Widdicombe, K., Buccheri, A., Imran, D., Allender, S., Orellana, L., & Nichols, M. (2020). Profiling Malnutrition Prevalence among Australian Rural In-Patients Using a Retrospective Census of Electronic Medical Files over a 12-Month Period. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5909. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165909

Public Health

Whelan, J., Brimblecombe, J., Christian, M., Vargas, C., Ferguson, M., McMahon, E., Lee, A., Bell, C., Boelsen-Robinson, T., Blake, M. R., Lewis, M., Alston, L., & Allender, S. (2023). CO-creation and Evaluation of food environments to Advance Community Health (COACH). AJPM Focus, 2(3), doi: 10.1016/j.focus.2023.100111..

Nagorcka-Smith, P., Bolton, K. A., Dam, J., Nichols, M., Alston, L., Johnstone, M., & Allender, S. (2022). The impact of coalition characteristics on outcomes in community-based initiatives targeting the social determinants of health: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 26 pages. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13678-9

Browne, J., Becker, D., Orellana, L., Ryan, J., Walker, T., Whelan, J., Alston, L., Egan, M., Johnson, B., Rossignoli, A., Crooks, N., Brown, A.B., Bolton, K.A., Fraser, P., Le, H., Bell, C., Hayward, J., Sangiorski, A., Backholer, K., Allender, S., & Strugnell, C. (2022). Healthy weight, health behaviours and quality of life among Aboriginal children living in regional Victoria. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 1-9. http://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13271

Tesfay, F. H., Zorbas, C., Alston, L., Backholer, K., Bowe, S. J., & Bennett, C. M. (2022). Prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.936482

Hill, A., Alston, L., Needham, C., Peeters, A., Lamontagne, A. D., & Nichols, M. (2022). Systematic review of the effectiveness of health promotion interventions targeting obesity prevention in school-based staff. Health Promotion International, 37(3), 12 pages. doi:10.1093/heapro/daac061

Tesfay, F. H., Backholer, K., Zorbas, C., Bowe, S. J., Alston, L., & Bennett, C. M. (2022). The Magnitude of NCD Risk Factors in Ethiopia: Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Evidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 19 pages. doi:10.3390/ijerph19095316

Schumacher, T. L., Alston, L., Wakely, L., Latter, R., Squires, K., Heaney, S., & Brown, L. J. (2022). Characterizing the Health of Older Rural Australians Attending Rural Events: Implications for Future Health Promotion Opportunities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), 1-14. doi:10.3390/ijerph19053011

Crooks, N., Alston, L., Nichols, M., Bolton, K. A., Allender, S., Fraser, P., Le, H., Bliss, J., Rennie, C., Orellana, L., & Strugnell, C. (2021). Association between the school physical activity environment, measured and self-reported student physical activity and active transport behaviours in Victoria, Australia. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 12 pages. doi:10.1186/s12966-021-01151-6

Tesfay, F., Zorbas, C., Alston, L., Backholer, K., Bowe, S. J., & Bennett, C. M. (2021). Mapping the prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence. International Journal of Epidemiology, 50(Supplement_1). doi:10.1093/ije/dyab168.654

O’Halloran, S., Eksteen, G., Gebremariam, M., & Alston, L. (2020). Measurement methods used to assess the school food environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 23 pages. doi:10.3390/ijerph17051623

Alston, L., Crooks, N., Strugnell, C., Orellana, L., Allender, S., Rennie, C., & Nichols, M. (2019). Associations between school food environments, body mass index and dietary intakes among regional school students in Victoria, Australia: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(16), 13 pages. doi:10.3390/ijerph16162916

Jacobs, J., Alston, L., Needham, C., Backholer, K., Strugnell, C., Allender, S., & Nichols, M. (2019). Variation in the physical activity environment according to area-level socio-economic position-a systematic review. Obesity reviews, 20(5), 686-700. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30624854/

Herbert, J., Peterson, K. L., Alston, L., Allender, S., & Nichols, M. (2017). Comparison between measured and perceived weight status in a nationally representative sample of Australian adults. Obesity research & clinical practice, 11(4), 414-425. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2016.12.009

Rural Health

Tagne, J.F., Burns, K., O’Brien, T., Chapman, W., Cornell, P., Huckvale, K., Ameen, I., Bishop, J., Buccheri, A., Reid, J., Wong Shee, A., Budge, M., Huggins, C.E., Peeters, A., & Metcalf, O. (2025). Challenges for remote patient monitoring programs in rural and regional areas: a qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 25, 374. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12427-z

Rural Health Service Research

Chapman, A., Buccheri, A., Mohotti, D., Wong Shee, A., Huggins, C.E., Alston, L., Hutchinson, A.M., Yoong, S.L., Beks, H., McNamara, K., Peeters, A., & Ugalde, A. Staff-reported barriers and facilitators to the implementation of healthcare interventions within regional and rural areas: a rapid review. BMC Health Serv Res 25, 331 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12480-8

Alston, L., Field, M., Buccheri, A., Brew, F., George, A., Wheaton, N., Harrington, S., Payne, W., Aras, D., Bennett, A., Beks, H., McNamara, K. & Versace, V.L. (2025). Establishment of a Research Unit in Colac, a Medium Rural Town: An Update on Progress and Guidance for Rural Health Service Research Strategy Development. Aust J Rural Health, 33: e70005. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajr.70005

Needham C, Wheaton N, Wong Shee A, McNamara K, Malakellis M, et al. (2023) Enhancing healthcare at home for older people in rural and regional Australia: A protocol for co-creation to design and implement system change. PLOS ONE 18(9): e0290386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290386

Field, M., McGuane, A., & Alston, L. (2023). Rural clinicians: essential for research and its translation. InSight+, 13. https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2023/13/rural-clinicians-essential-for-research-and-its-translation/

Quilliam, C., Wong Shee, A., Corboy, D., Glenister, K., King, O., McNamara, K., Alston, L., Aras, D., Beauchamp, A., & McKinstry, C. (2023). Design and implementation characteristics of research training for rural health professionals: a qualitative descriptive study. BMC Med Educ 23, 200. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04169-5

Alston, L., & Versace, V.L. (2023). Place-based research in small rural hospitals: an overlooked opportunity for action to reduce health inequities in Australia? The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, 30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100682

Wong Shee, A., Quilliam, C., Corboy, D., Glenister, K., McKinstry, C., Beauchamp, A., Alston, L., Maybery, D., Aras, D., & Mc Namara, K. (2022). What shapes research and research capacity building in rural health services? Context matters. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 1-12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35189009/

Alston, L., Field, M., Brew, F., Payne, W., Aras, D., Versace, V.L. (2022). Addressing the lack of research in rural communities through building rural health service research: Establishment of a research unit in Colac, a medium rural town. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 30, 536– 539. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35254718/

Field, M., Buccheri, A., King, O., Bishop, J., Wong Shee, A., Imran, D., Jacobs, J., Versace, V., Isaacs, A., Sutton, K., Sourlos, N., Murphy, F., Kennelly, M., Wood, E., & Alston, L. (2022). Rural health service leaders co-design state-wide research addressing an emerging health issue: A case report. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 30, 884-890. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35975966/

Research Capacity Building

King, O., West, E., Alston, L. et al. (2024) Models and approaches for building knowledge translation capacity and capability in health services: a scoping review. Implementation Sci 19, 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-024-01336-0

Staff Wellbeing

Surgery

Field, M., Sitzler, P., Moran, P., & Kaplan, E. (2023). Minimally invasive laparoscopic transabdominal retrieval of dislocated trial femoral head prosthesis. BMJ Case Reports. 16. e256617. 10.1136/bcr-2023-256617.

PROTECTinG investigators, VERITAS Collaborative. (2023). Postoperative Timing of Chemoprophylaxis and Its Impact on Thromboembolism and Bleeding Following Major Abdominal Surgery: A Multicenter Cohort Study. World Journal of Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-023-06899-5

Liu, D. S., Stevens, S. G., Watson, D. I., Goh, S. K., Muralidharan, V., Wong, E., Fong, J., Wong, D. J., PROTECTinG Investigators, & VERITAS Collaborative. (2023). Optimal Timing of Perioperative Chemoprophylaxis in Patients With High Thromboembolic Risk Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: A Multicenter Cohort Study. Annals of surgery, 277(1), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000005697

Klonis, C., Ashraf, H., Cabalag, C. S., Wong, D. J., Stevens, S. G., & Liu, D. S. (2022). Optimal Timing of Perioperative Chemical Thromboprophylaxis in Elective Major Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of surgery, 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005764. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000005764.

Telehealth

Beks, H., King, O., Clapham, R., Alston, L., Glenister, K., McKinstry, C., Quilliam, C., Wellwood, I., Williams, C., & Shee, A. W. (2022). Community Health Programs Delivered Through Information and Communications Technology in High-Income Countries: Scoping Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(3), 1-18. doi:10.2196/26515

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