Richard Franklin

• PhD; MSocSc; BSc
• Professor at James Cook University

Child drowning is a significant public health issue in Indonesia; however, there remains a lack of understanding within communities of the risks and how to prevent it. This qualitative study aimed to explore existing and suggested actions undertaken by parents and communities to prevent child drowning. Seven focus group discussions were conducted,...

Objectives Research in critically ill children poses challenges in acquiring prospective informed consent. International ethical guidelines generally have provisions to perform research without prior consent (RWPC) in circumstances where consent is not feasible, but there is a paucity of data regarding the community acceptance of this process. The...

Summary Background: Overweight and obesity is a global epidemic. Forecasting future trajectories of the epidemic is crucial for providing an evidence base for policy change. In this study, we examine the historical trends of the global, regional, and national prevalence of adult overweight and obesity from 1990 to 2021 and forecast the future traje...

Background Disasters, whether anthropogenic or natural, are burdensome on global travel and tourism safety. We examine the effects of natural and climate-related disasters on tourists’ health outcomes, which is crucial for public health and policy development, especially because of the increased frequency of natural disasters, global tourism, and t...

Background Despite the well documented consequences of obesity during childhood and adolescence and future risks of excess body mass on non-communicable diseases in adulthood, coordinated global action on excess body mass in early life is still insufficient. Inconsistent measurement and reporting are a barrier to specific targets, resource allocati...

Background Overweight and obesity is a global epidemic. Forecasting future trajectories of the epidemic is crucial for providing an evidence base for policy change. In this study, we examine the historical trends of the global, regional, and national prevalence of adult overweight and obesity from 1990 to 2021 and forecast the future trajectories t...

Background: Deaths from suicide are a tragic yet preventable cause of mortality. Quantifying the burden of suicide to understand its geographical distribution, temporal trends, and variation by age and sex is an essential step in suicide prevention. We aimed to present a comprehensive set of global, regional, and national estimates of suicide burd...

Introduction Swimming and water safety skills are essential for reducing drowning. Swimming and water safety programs primarily focus on children, despite adults accounting for over 80% of fatal drowning in Australia. This study aims to identify types of adult swimming programs in Australia, who attends these programs, and measure their swimming sk...

Objective Clinical factors previously shown to independently predict safe discharge were applied at ED presentation to determine whether we could identify a group of drowning patients who do not require treatment and are thus safe for rapid discharge. Method We conducted a retrospective study of drowning presentations to EDs of the Sunshine Coast...

Background Sexual well‐being significantly impacts the overall quality of life for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. Notably, parents play a pivotal role in influencing their children's sexual development, and their attitudes towards this topic are shaped by Chinese sociocultural values. Methods This study employed Interpreta...

Background The six global nutrition targets (GNTs) related to low birthweight, exclusive breastfeeding, child growth (ie, wasting, stunting, and overweight), and anaemia among females of reproductive age were chosen by the World Health Assembly in 2012 as key indicators of maternal and child health, but there has yet to be a comprehensive report o...

Objectives: In this study, the trends and current situation of the injury burden as well as attributable burden to injury risk factors at global, regional, and national levels based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 are presented. Study design: To assess the attributable burden of injury risk factors, th...

Up-to-date estimates of stroke burden and attributable risks and their trends at global, regional, and national levels are essential for evidence-based health care, prevention, and resource allocation planning. We aimed to provide such estimates for the period 1990–2021. We estimated incidence, prevalence, death, and disability-adjusted life-year (...

Background: Up-to-date estimates of stroke burden and attributable risks and their trends at global, regional, and national levels are essential for evidence-based health care, prevention, and resource allocation planning. We aimed to provide such estimates for the period 1990–2021. Methods: We estimated incidence, prevalence, death, and disabilit...

Background Indonesia is one of the world’s most susceptible areas to various hydrometeorological disasters. Despite this vulnerability limited information on disaster-related drowning in Indonesia exists. This study aimed to investigate mortality, risk factors, and prevention strategies associated with disaster-related drowning in Indonesia, to inf...

Background The highest rate of drowning mortality in Indonesia was identified among the under-5 population. However, a paucity of information on drowning preventive efforts to reduce the risk of drowning among children of Indonesia has been observed. This study aimed to investigate Indonesian parents’ and community perceptions and practices regardi...

Agricultural is one of the most dangerous industries to work in, due to the variability of the work, and the power of the machinery used. Demonstrated by the high number of deaths due to tractors, quid bikes and other machinery. Mobile plant, any plant with that is provided with some form of self-propulsion under the direct control of an operator a...

Drowning globally is a public health challenge requiring a range of strategies and approaches for prevention. Drowning prevention is a wicked challenge with many moving parts.This presentation aims to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical strategies in drowning prevention, offering insights into tools and methodologies that can...

Introduction A high burden of unintentional fatal drowning has been reported in low- and middle-income countries. However, little is known about unintentional drowning in Indonesia. Methods This population-based retrospective cohort study analysed unintentional drowning data for Indonesia sourced from The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Estim...

Introduction: A high burden of unintentional fatal drowning has been reported in low- and middle-income countries. However, little is known about unintentional drowning in Indonesia. Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study analysed unintentional drowning data for Indonesia sourced from The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Est...

Child drowning is a significant public health issue in Indonesia, however, there is insufficient understanding of the issue and its associated risk factors within communities. This qualitative study aimed to explore parental and community perceptions and practices related to child drowning in Indonesian communities, and the perceived causes and ris...

Background Road traffic incidents are one of the most significant causes of death globally, with previous research showing that many meteorological factors influence road traffic safety. Objective The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the effect of high ambient temperature and humidity on road traffic incidnets across various climatic...

Globally rip currents are the primary physical hazard facing swimmers on surf beaches. However, beach swimmers also face other hazards such as large waves, tidal influenced currents, and shorebreak waves. The aim of this study was to investigate factors leading to the increased likelihood of surf lifeguard rescues. Rescue data from Surf Life Saving...

Background Drowning is an important contributor to the burden of deaths in China. Exposure to open water is a risk factor for drowning, but few studies quantify its impact on drowning. The purpose of this study was to provide an up-to-date analysis of unintentional drowning in China, including impact of exposure to open water. Methods Chinese prov...

Introduction No published evidence was identified regarding the use of oxygen in the treatment of drowning in two recent systematic reviews. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of on scene, pre‐Emergency Medical Services (EMS) oxygen therapy by lifeguards in the resuscitation of drowning victims. Method We conducted a retrospective...

Background: The Australian population aged 70 and above is increasing and imposing new challenges for policy makers and providers to deliver accessible, appropriate and affordable health care. We examine pre-COVID patterns of health loss between 1990 and 2019 to inform policies and practices. Methods: Using the standardised methodology framework an...

Background Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensiv...

Background Detailed, comprehensive, and timely reporting on population health by underlying causes of disability and premature death is crucial to understanding and responding to complex patterns of disease and injury burden over time and across age groups, sexes, and locations. The availability of disease burden estimates can promote evidence-base...

Objectives Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) provides evidence-based secondary prevention for people with heart disease (HD) (clients). Despite HD being the leading cause of mortality and morbidity, CR is under-utilised in Australia. This research investigated healthcare systems required to improve access to CR in rural and remote areas of North Queensla...

Background Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important follow...

Sexuality is a valuable part of people’s lives, including people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Parents and social services personnel are significant parties for promoting the autonomy of people with ID regarding sexuality, although evidence reveals their actions tend to be in the opposite direction. Sexual attitudes do not emerge solely as p...

Background Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of D...

Background Neck pain is a highly prevalent condition that leads to considerable pain, disability, and economic cost. We present the most current estimates of neck pain prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) by age, sex, and location, with forecasted prevalence to...

Introduction Despite the importance of child road traffic death, the knowledge about rural child road traffic death in Australia is limited. Objective To explore the difference of child road traffic death between urban and rural areas. Design This study was a retrospective analysis of road traffic death in Australia among children and adolescents...

Background The wellbeing and safety of international tourists is a paramount concern for governments and stakeholders. Mortality among travellers, and the causes of death, serve as a significant metric of destination safety. We describe the epidemiology and causes of death among international travellers in Peru. Methods Data retrieved from the Per...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38092509/#full-view-affiliation-41

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) is a multinational collaborative research study with >10,000 collaborators around the world. GBD generates a time series of summary measures of health, including prevalence, cause-specific mortality (CSMR), years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disabi...

Not finding a murder victim poses challenges for homicide investigators in solving crime, including determining where to search for the deceased's body. Existing literature focuses on locating offenders through criminal profiling; however, this is largely based on identification through forensic evidence found at the murder site or where the victim...

Little is known about unintentional drowning deaths in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous and largest archipelagic country. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and risk factors of unintentional drowning in Indonesia and explore existing health promotion and drowning prevention approaches in Indonesia within a socio-ecological hea...

Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major cause of health loss due to premature mortality and long-term disability. We aimed to report on the global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years of life lived with disability (YLDs) for SCI from 1990 to 2019, using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors S...

Summary Background Unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning is a largely preventable cause of death that has received insufficient attention. We aimed to conduct a comprehensive global analysis of the demographic, temporal, and geographical patterns of fatal unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning from 2000 to 2021. Methods As part of the latest Glo...

Background Globally, drowning is a leading cause of injury-related harm, which is heavily impacted by environmental conditions. In Australia, fatal unintentional drowning peaks in summer, yet the impact of prolonged periods of hot weather (heatwave) on fatal drowning has not previously been explored. Methods Using a case-crossover approach, we exa...

Aim: The revised Utstein Style For Drowning (USFD) was published in 2015. Core data were considered feasible to be reported in most health systems worldwide. We aimed to determine the suitability of the USFD as a template for reporting data from drowning research. Method: Clinical records of 437 consecutive drowning presentations to the Sunshine...

Most countries, states or counties have an organised Search and Rescue (SAR) response to reported missing people, whether it is by statutory authorities such as the police or by volunteer groups. The success or otherwise of the ensuing searches is often dependent on the training of the coordination team and the adherence to known and proven search...

Background Co-ordinated, evidence-based policy and programmatic efforts are needed to respond to complex drowning prevention problems. Comprehensive, current, and robust data are vital for agenda setting, burden and risk factor identification, intervention design and evaluation, as well as setting policy. We aim to record methods used in, and ident...

Aim An evidence gap exists on sex and gender differences in drowning with previous research neglecting females. Drowning studies have largely focused on accidental drowning and submersion, excluding other classifications such as intentional, water transport-related, and undetermined drowning. This study examined all external causes of drowning deat...

Background Low back pain is highly prevalent and the main cause of years lived with disability (YLDs). We present the most up-to-date global, regional, and national data on prevalence and YLDs for low back pain from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021. Methods Population-based studies from 1980 to 2019 identified i...

Background: Low back pain is highly prevalent and the main cause of years lived with disability (YLDs). We present the most up-to-date global, regional, and national data on prevalence and YLDs for low back pain from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021. Methods: Population-based studies from 1980 to 2019 identified...

Background Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of CR...

Background Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of CR...

Summary Background Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burd...

Introduction: Despite the importance of child road traffic death, a limited number of studies have investigated rural child road traffic death in high income countries. Objective: This review estimated the impact of rurality on child road traffic deaths and other potential risk factors in high-income countries. Design: We searched Ovid, MEDLIN...

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of preventable harm among adolescents. Adolescents also experience an increased risk of farm injury, and in Australia, injury-related farm fatalities among adolescents have remained largely unchanged over the past two decades. A third of all incidents involve farm visitors, indicating the need for populati...

Objective: Australia is a popular destination for international visitors. This study reviews international visitor drowning deaths in Australia and analyses drowning by visitor type. Methods: A total population retrospective study exploring drowning deaths of international visitors was conducted between 2008 and 2018. Data were extracted from th...

Heatwaves are a significant and growing threat to the health and well-being of the residents of Queensland, Australia. This threat is increasing due to climate change. Excess heat increases the demand for health services, including ambulance calls, and the purpose of this study was to explore this impact across Queensland. A state-wide retrospectiv...

Background Universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities is an essential human right, recognised in the Sustainable Development Goals as crucial for preventing disease and improving human wellbeing. Comprehensive, high-resolution estimates are important to inform progress towards achieving this goal. We aimed to produce high-res...

Introduction: This retrospective observational study aims to create a comprehensive database of the circumstances of drowning (including care provided and outcomes of care) to report against the Utstein style for drowning (USFD) for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Four areas will be examined: a feasibility study of the USFD;...

Heatwaves are a significant cause of adverse health outcomes and mortality in Australia, worsening with climate change. In Queensland, the northeastern-most state, little is known about the impact of heatwaves outside of the capital city of Brisbane. This study aims to explore the impact of heatwaves on mortality across various demographic and envi...

Objective Obesity and injury are major inter-related public health challenges. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of injury in people with severe obesity. Methods A cross-sectional design was employed to capture injury perception and lifestyle habits via questionnaires. Weight (kg) and height (m) were measured by clinicians...

Extreme weather events can cause significant human, economic and infrastructure losses. Within a changing climate, heatwaves, droughts, and floods are becoming more frequent and severe. Unfortunately, those who are most vulnerable are often disproportionately impacted. In this study, we examined the epidemiology of weather-related fatalities due to...

Access the full text version of the article here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(23)00098-X/fulltext

Objective The primary aim is to explore rural clinicians' self-reported knowledge, skills and attitudes in the decision-making process for requesting aeromedical retrieval of patients with suspected appendicitis. A secondary aim is to understand the supports and barriers of rural clinicians experience in this clinical scenario. Setting Clinician i...

Background Drowning is a significant cause of injury and death, impacted by environmental conditions. In Australia, drowning risk peaks in summer, yet the impact of heat adaptive behaviours involving water (i.e., swimming) and drowning have not been explored. Methods Drowning deaths (ICD-10 coded: unintentional, intentional, water transport or und...

Background Australia is known for its aquatic locations and serene landscapes, attracting many international tourists, students, and workers. International travel is not without risk as water-related injuries are known to occur; drowning being one of the main causes of tourist deaths. This study aims to review international traveller drowning death...

Background Migrants have been identified as a priority population in the Australian Water Safety Strategy, representing around one-third of all drowning deaths in Australia. An access inequity to swimming and water safety programs for migrant communities exists. This study explored the availability and type of swimming and water safety programs aim...

Background High fatalities of unintentional drowning have been reported in low and middle-income countries. However, little is known about unintentional drowning prevention in Indonesia. Objective To examine mortality rates and risk factors of unintentional drowning in Indonesia to inform drowning prevention. Methods This total population retrosp...

Background Little is known about unintentional drowning deaths in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country and largest archipelagic state, where high numbers of meteorological and hydrological events including disasters occur annually. Aims To identify gaps in the research knowledge base on the epidemiology and risk factors of unintenti...

Objectives This research evaluated the resilience of 6 tertiary and rural health facilities within a single Australian Health Service, using the World Health Organization (WHO) Hospital Safety Index (HSI). This adaptation of the HSI was compared with existing national accreditation and facility design Standards to assess disaster preparedness and i...

Introduction In Australia, aeromedical retrieval provides a vital link for rural communities with limited health services to definitive care in urban centers. Yet, there are few studies of aeromedical patient experiences and outcomes, or clear measures of the service quality provided to these patients. Study Objective This study explores whether a...

Background Indigenous peoples in high income countries are disproportionately affected by Type 2 Diabetes. Socioeconomic disadvantages and inadequate access to appropriate healthcare are important contributors. Objectives This systematic review investigates effective designs of primary care management of Type 2 Diabetes for Indigenous adults in Au...

Introduction: The reduction of road fatalities is a priority established by the WHO and ratified by the UN. Rates of road fatalities are disproportionately high in rural areas in both Australia and Canada, two Commonwealth countries with comparable healthcare systems and rural health challenges. The purpose of this review was to compare and contra...

Objective To identify predictors of longer-term outcomes from adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac aetiology. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, three large routinely collected databases were linked: 1)QAS Out-of-Hospital Cardiac (OHCA) Registry; 2)Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection; and 3)Queensland...