ABOVE: Huong Tran delivers her first conference presentation since the onset of COVID-19 at the Australian Health Economics Society Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre in September,2023.
REFRESH researcher Huong Tran, from Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation (Deakin Health Economics) used Knowledge Exchange funding to travel to Adelaide for the Australian Health Economics Society (AHES) Conference, September 21-23, 2023, where she presented findings from a REFRESH-led project, “Economic Evaluation of Healthy Food and Drink Retail Policies in Australian Healthcare Settings.”
She shares her experience:
In July 2023, I received the exciting news that my abstract for AHES 2023 had been accepted for oral presentation. AHES is a health economics conference that serves as a forum for discussion and knowledge exchange within the field. The conference attracts a diverse audience from Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and North America, including health economists, public health advocates, and policy stakeholders. AHES aims to promote the study, practice, and advancement of health economics, as well as its applications in shaping healthcare policies and practices both nationally and internationally.
AHES marked my first in-person conference since the onset of COVID-19. It was a remarkable opportunity to share the preliminary results of my project, connect with fellow health economists who are engaging in various health areas, stay informed about current and emerging methodologies, and explore the real-world applications of health economics.
ABOVE: Huong Tran (left) with the Deakin Health Economics team at the Australian Health Economics Society Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre in September 2023.
The study I presented centred on the cost-effectiveness analysis of a generic healthy hospital retail policy implemented in public hospital and health facilities across Australia. This research was inspired by the current implementation of healthy hospital retail policies throughout the country. The overarching aim of these policies is to align the food and beverage choices in public hospital settings with the Australian public health message. These policies have potential to improve the healthiness of food retail environments and the dietary behaviours of staff, patients, and visitors in these settings.
Cost-effectiveness analysis plays a crucial role in providing evidence regarding the value-for-money of these policies. While the study is ongoing, our preliminary results indicate the cost-effectiveness of implementing a generic healthy hospital retail policy in Australia, which is an encouraging result of government-led efforts to enhance the health and well-being of Australians in public hospital settings.
‘AHES marked my first in-person conference since the onset of COVID-19. It was a remarkable opportunity to share the preliminary results of my project (and) connect with fellow health economists who are engaging in various health areas…’Huong Tran, Knowledge Exchange recipient
My presentation at AHES 2023
Following my presentation, I engaged in an exciting Q&A session. The discussion provided valuable feedback from colleagues in the room, helping identify areas for enhancing the methodology and implications of my study. This includes considering compensatory behaviours in assessing changes in dietary outcomes among the population and estimating the implementation costs for retailers.
Overall
Since the conference has a strong focus on health economics, spanning economic studies, economic evaluations, and health outcomes research, there are several key takeaways that will significantly benefit my future work as a health economist, such as:
- Recognising the importance of engaging and collaborating with policy stakeholders to better understand their perspectives and requirements.
- Establishing and nurturing long-term partnerships with policy stakeholders for more effective research translation.
ABOVE: Huong Tran enjoyed the opportunity to network with others in her chosen field.
