In this edition, we'll consider the positive response from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to the New South Wales government's proposed package of anti-tobacco measures: Protecting Children from Tobacco.
A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) highlights the prevalence of osteoporosis, the "silent" disease, and the impact it has on many Australians.
A new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report has the alarming revelation that four out of five workers over the age of 45 have chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and asthma.
Another recent study has found that Australians from higher socio-economic groups are more likely to use the Internet as a source of health information, and that ease of access to reliable health information for those people in lower socioeconomic circumstances needs to be improved. As all subscribers to this newsletter will know, HealthInsite is certainly part of the solution!
And finally, we'll look at a number of events on the health calendar for September 2008.
Call for immediate voluntary ban on smoking in cars
The Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM), a faculty of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, has praised the NSW Government's proposed Protecting Children from Tobacco package of anti-tobacco measures in a recent press release.
.The decision of the NSW Cabinet to support the proposals will help protect today's children, and help improve the health of our population., claimed Professor George Rubin, President of AFPHM, and a longstanding member of the HealthInsite Editorial Board. .I have no doubt that the decision to remove tobacco products from the sight of children in shops will reap long-term health benefits. Out of sight and out of mind is exactly where cigarettes belong..
Professor Rubin was also very supportive of the move to ban smoking in cars carrying children. .We all take it for granted that children should be protected from harm. Banning smoking when a child is in the car simply reinforces this. Young lungs should never be subjected to the levels of smoke that can concentrate in an enclosed vehicle.. AFPHM looks forward to these proposals being legislated, and calls upon other states and territories to follow suit. .Let's not wait for the law to be passed., suggests Professor Rubin. .Stop smoking in your car now. Do it for the kids..
HealthInsite has topic pages on the Health Effects of Smoking, Passive Smoking, and Quitting Smoking.
Impact of 'silent' osteoporosis on Australians
At least 600,000 Australians are affected by osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become fragile and weak and increases the risk of fracture, according to a report released by the AIHW and Osteoporosis Australia. A 'silent' disease, osteoporosis usually shows no signs or symptoms, and so often goes undiagnosed until a fracture occurs. Osteoporosis affects mostly women and men who are middle-age and older. According to the report, A picture of osteoporosis in Australia, one in two women, and one in four men over the age of 60 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime.
HealthInsite has topic pages on the Prevention of Osteoporosis, Risk Factors, Treatments, and Menopause.
80% of older workers have disease: study
New Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data reveals eight in ten workers over 45 years of age have a chronic health condition, like obesity, diabetes, or asthma. The report, Health of Mature Age Workers in Australia:A Snapshot, canvasses the prevalence of eight major diseases - arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and mental health problems - among people aged 45 to 74.
Heart disease and arthritis were most common, affecting about a quarter of all mature-age workers. But rates for the two diseases were worse among their unemployed counterparts - only one in ten was illness-free. The report states that 7% of the workers believed that their condition was triggered by their work. It also showed that mature age workers in capital cities were less likely to have a chronic condition than people living elsewhere. Even with a major health condition, however, 56% of mature-age workers still assessed their health as very good or excellent, compared with 31% of those who were not working.
Internet as a source of health information
A recent study has found that Australians from higher socio-economic groups are more likely to use the Internet as a source of health information, but that few of these will discuss their findings with their doctor. "These results suggest that a concerted effort is required to raise the utilisation of the internet as a source of health information in low socioeconomic communities and improve ease of access to trustworthy online health information. The incorporation of these strategies into new GP Super Clinics models is worth investigating," Dr Dart said.
This article appears in the August 2008 edition of the Australian Health Review, the peer reviewed journal of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association.
Health Calendar - September 2008
September 2008 is another busy month in the health calendar! Activities include Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and Spina Bifida Awareness Month. National Asthma Week and Eczema Awareness Week are just two of the events being coordinated in the first week of September, and Cross Dress for Red Cross is being held on 5 September.
National Stroke Week and National Blood Donor Week are both being held from September 15 - 21, and Diabetes Buzz Day is being held on 19 September.
For the full 2008 calendar, please see the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing's Calendar of Health Events.
