News from the Prevention Centre
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Edition 87: February 2026
POLICY | French health authority draws on Australian prevention model
France’s National Authority for Health drew on the Prevention Centre’s model to inform prevention reform, identifying three conditions for effective intermediation and underscoring the value of structured collaboration in embedding evidence in policy. The inclusion of the Prevention Centre in the analysis reflects recognition of its approach to collaboration and evidence use, and the enduring value of systems that support coordination and evidence-informed decision-making. Read more
PRACTICE | Aligning effort across the prevention system
As Australia’s prevention system matures, partnerships need to shift beyond collaboration to strengthen collective leadership, coordination and lasting system-wide impact. The Heart Foundation has become the Prevention Centre’s eighth funder, a sign of growing confidence in system leadership to tackle chronic disease. Read more
RESEARCH| Pathways to Impact
The final Pathways to Impact case study shows how CRE-WaND researchers co-designed short, animated videos with clinicians, epidemiologists, rheumatologists and media experts to translate evidence into accessible health information. The project addresses gaps in preventive health information for women in midlife. Read more
RESEARCH | How harmful digital marketing reaches young people online
Phase one of #DigitalYouth reveals how harmful marketing is embedded in young people’s online environments, raising new questions about regulation, accountability and digital platform responsibility. #DigitalYouth flips the script, using real screen recordings to observe marketing as it actually appears during everyday digital use. Read more
POLICY | Productivity Commission calls for prevention framework
The Productivity Commission’s final report calls for a National Prevention and Early Intervention Framework. It reflects a growing body of evidence that well-designed, evidence-based preventive investments work. The Prevention Centre provided evidence and collective advice during consultation on the interim report. Read more
PROFILE | Prevention Insider: Kathryn Backholer
Professor Kathryn Backholer has spent her career unpacking how systems shape our health. She is behind the world’s first AI-enabled system tracking kids’ exposure to online marketing of alcohol, gambling, vapes and junk food. In this Prevention Insider, she reflects on digital harms, systems leadership and the small, meaningful steps that sustain long-term prevention change. Read more
PRACTICE | Building the conditions for impact in prevention research
Through the work of the HiPPP EMR-C, this article explores how collaboration, equity and capacity building are strengthening the conditions for prevention research to translate into real-world impact. It tackles a key gap in Australia’s system: supporting women’s health before and during pregnancy without stigma or weight-focused approaches. Read more
SAX | Evidence from the Sax Institute helps inform $22.7M expansion of family violence training
The Australian Government has used an interim evaluation report by the Sax Institute to inform a $22.7m expansion of family violence training, aimed at tackling gender-based violence. The training will equip frontline health and social workers practical, evidence-based tools to better support victims and prevent harm. Read more
PUBLICATIONS | Prevention Centre funded research
Vargas C, Khanna K, Boelsen-Robinson T, Blake M, Hobbs V, Peeters A, Naughton S. Exploring value co-creation in public health: factors influencing collaborative development of a food retailers’ toolkit from multi-stakeholder perspectives. Critical Public Health
Martino F, Pathirana NL, Saif L, Bhatti A, Backholer K. Automated detection of digital alcohol marketing using SCANNER: an integrated deep-learning approach. Drug and Alcohol Review
Jafari A, Pemberton S, Tiwari S, Saghapour T, Chand N, Zapata-Diomedi B, Giles-Corti B. Modelling the impact of lower speed limits on residential streets for cyclist level of traffic stress and car travel time in Greater Melbourne. Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research
Phone 02 9188 9500 I Email preventioncentre@saxinstitute.org.au
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