Using data to advance knowledge

Health data sets can provide significant insights into the state of women's sexual and reproductive health in Australia. Analysing this data can also help us understand what services women are using and identify gaps in health care provision.

Current projects

SPHERE has experience and expertise in the analysis of health data sets and large population survey data that can help advance our knowledge of women's sexual and reproductive health in Australia.

The influence of geographic location on Australian women’s reproductive health

Women in rural and regional areas have poorer access to primary care and poorer sexual and reproductive outcomes of poorer quality. This study will analyse data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health to examine fertility behaviours and access to sexual and reproductive health services in primary care across a national population sample of urban versus rural young adult women. This will include an analysis of the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on abortion incidence rates.

Trends and factors associated with prior abortion at time of childbirth among childbearing women in Victoria, Australia

Robust data on abortions are needed to tailor public health responses that include equitable access to contraception and abortion care. This study will examine the prevalence of a history of induced abortion among individuals giving birth in Victoria using perinatal data.

Publications

Review the relevant news articles and announcements around this key area of research.

Geographical variation in use of hormonal long-acting reversible contraceptives in Australia between 2018 and 2021: Analysis of national dispensing data (2026)

Kassie, G., Thapaliya, K., Mazza, D., James, S., Black, K., Grzeskowiak, L

Experiences of abortion care in Australia: a qualitative study examining multiple dimensions of access (2024)

Wickramasinghe, S., Fisher, J., Taft, A., Makleff, S.

Exploring Methods to Mitigate Fraud in Web-Based Surveys: Multicase Study Analysis (2025)

Ennis, M., Renner, RM., Morando-Stokoe, C., James, S., Janssen, P., Leckie, S., Dunn, S., Mazza, D., Norman, W.

The preferences of people in Australia to respond and engage with advertisements to promote reproductive health: Results of a discrete choice experiment (2024)

Dorney, E., Black, K., Haas, M., Street, D., Church, J

Time trends and characteristics associated with abortion method used by young Australian women (2025)

Edvardsson, K., Egan, N., Taft, A., Norman, W., Harris, M., Black, K., Bateson, D., Hooker, L., Shankar, M

The prevalence of and factors associated with prior induced abortion among women who gave birth in Victoria, 2010-2019 (2024)

Edvardsson, K., Black, K., Bateson, D., Norman, W., Shankar, M., Hooker, L., Li, X., Taft, A

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