Category: Health Promotion
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Save UTS Public Health School and strengthen health education
Ximena Tolosa, Andrea Britton, Jesse Hoopes, Md Saiful Islam, Lisa Sharwood, Sandra Steele, Andrew Japri, Peter Black The PHAA One Health Special Interest Group (SIG) stands with the Australasian Epidemiological Association, the Medical Journal of Australia and other institutions in opposing the proposed closure of the School of Public Health…
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Better ways to communicate health messages to young people
Melody Taba The Sydney Health Literacy Lab & Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute have unveiled their new co-designed framework for social media health communication to young people. It’s useful for all health communicators or health organisations. Compared to previous generations, young people today are more likely to use the internet and…
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Public health campaigns beyond borders
Professor Muhammad Aziz Rahman In Australia and around the world, government, not-for-profit, and private organisations campaign to raise awareness for various public health issues. Specific days, weeks, or months are often used to commemorate or advance global health, like Movember, STEPtember, and World Heart Day. With hundreds of global health…
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Getting started with advocacy
Dr Joanne Flavel Advocacy is key to improving public health through influence on health policy. The importance of advocacy is highlighted through the inclusion of advocacy as a key competency by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education and the World Health Organization. The Public Health Association of Australia…
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How Prevention 2024 fortified my commitment to public health
Zahra Ali Padhani As a PhD student with limited funding, I had not planned on attending the Preventive Health Conference this year. However, I was lucky enough to be selected as a recipient of the Health Promotion Special Interest Group (HPSIG) Travel Award – giving me the invaluable opportunity to…
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Next gen of researchers in early childhood health pave the way for cross-discipline collaboration
EPOCH-Connect In early childhood health promotion, collaboration is essential to break down disciplinary silos and create systemic change. Bringing together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and families allows for innovative research and the translation of findings into tangible, real-world impact. Collaborative and impactful research requires skills beyond those taught in research training…
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Pre-mixed alcohol products are driving a deceptive wellness trend in alcohol
Bella Sträuli, The George Institute for Global Health If you visit a local bottle shop this Christmas season, you could be forgiven for believing that some of the pre-mixed alcohol options on the shelf are good for you. With claims like ‘low sugar’, ‘low calorie’, ‘low carb’, ‘vegan’, and ‘gluten…
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Hard-hitting WA campaign helps shift attitudes on alcohol during pregnancy
Hollie Harwood, Public Health Association of Australia Research shows that around 35 percent of pregnant women in Australia drink at least some alcohol during pregnancy, despite the health recommendation being abstinence during pregnancy. However, new research published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health last week shows…
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Learn from different worldviews, says PHAA Mentor of the Year, Professor Rob Moodie
By Rob Moodie, PHAA Mentor of the Year Rob Moodie, Professor of Public Health at the University of Melbourne, was recognised for his commitment to mentorship at the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference. We chatted to him about his career and the importance of mentorship in public health. What was…
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Reflections on the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference
Elise Rivera, Health Promotion SIG Travel Award Recipient This submission was written prior to the Voice referendum on 14 October 2023. It was a great privilege to be awarded the PHAA Health Promotion Special Interest Group’s Travel Award 2023 and attend the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference in Hobart.…
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Striking before it’s El Nino hot: raising awareness of older people’s heat health risks
Ella Jackman (Project Coordinator & Research Assistant), Mehak Oberai (Senior Research Assistant), Ethos (Extreme Heat and Older Persons) Project, and Associate Professor Shannon Rutherford, Griffith University Global temperatures have increased and are expected to continue increasing, due to the ongoing consequences of climate change. This warming will have unprecedented harms…
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Next steps to helping children thrive with an expanded South Australian School Breakfast Program
Dr Alanna Sincovich, Senior Research Officer Telethon Kids Institute, Executive Committee PHAA SA Branch; Ms Mary Brushe, Study Manager Telethon Kids Institute, Vice President PHAA SA Branch. In the recently launched 2023-24 South Australian State Budget, the Premier announced an additional $6.5 million of funding to expand the state’s School…
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Ramadan Fasting: Opportunities for Public Health Professionals
Professor Muhammad Aziz Rahman The second most widely practised religion is Islam and there are over 1.7 billion Muslims globally which is about a quarter of the world population. In Australia, Muslims comprise about 2.3% of the population, or around 650,000 people. Practising Muslims observe the holy month of fasting…
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Prioritising Adolescent Health: Working with Young People to Build a Healthier and More Inclusive Future
By Allyson Todd, Rebecca Raeside and Dr Stephanie Partridge, from the Engagement and Co-design Research Hub at The University of Sydney The theme for this year’s International Adolescent Health Week #IAHW23 (19-25 March) is working with and for young people to build a healthier and more inclusive future. Adolescents are…
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Can social media help people living with Endometriosis during Awareness Month?
Lauren Goodwin, PHAA Member Wednesday 1 March marks the start of Endometriosis Awareness Month, dedicated to amplifying the voices of the thousands of people in Australia who are living with this condition. PHAA member Lauren Goodwin explores the role social media can play. Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition characterised by…
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Seize the opportunity: prioritise comprehensive primary healthcare reform
Introduction by Croakey: System-wide and comprehensive primary healthcare reform is “needed to bring together an increasingly fragmented system, where the most disadvantaged struggle to get the care they need, when they need it”, according to public health practitioner and Masters of Global Health student Lauren Richardson. In a submission to…
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In public health, is ‘co-design’ the answer to all our problems?
Leonie M. Short, Seniors Dental Care Australia In the last ten years, ‘co-design’ has emerged as a hot topic in Australia’s broad public health arena. National Disability Services funded a co-design initiative in 2015, NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) promoted the principles of co-design in 2017, and a co-design…
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Making every global crisis a marketing opportunity: alcohol industry corporate activism
Abbie-Clare Vidler and Keira Bury The alcohol industry were among many organisations participating in World Environment Day, held by the United Nations Environment Programme on 5 June. The theme of the celebrations was ‘Only One Earth’, a call back to the theme’s use at the world’s first environment conference 50…
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An election campaign bereft of prevention efforts that could save lives: Daube
Emeritus Professor Mike Daube AO, PHAA President (2007-2010) Another day, another election spending announcement. Both major parties are promising funding for all manner of purposes – billions for national programs, millions for local projects – even $4.5 million for a Tasmanian distillery. In recent times politicians from all reputable parties…
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Ultra-processed foods are trashing our health – and the planet
Kim Anastasiou, Deakin University; Mark Lawrence, Deakin University; Michalis Hadjikakou, Deakin University, and Phillip Baker, Deakin University Our world is facing a huge challenge: we need to create enough high-quality, diverse and nutritious food to feed a growing population – and do so within the boundaries of our planet. This…
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How do we improve the nutrition of older Australians?
Kate Thiele – Meals on Wheels Australia & Melanie Parker – PHAA Introduction As people move through life, nutrition requirements change. This is pertinent for older Australians (70 years +), where poor nutrition can have a detrimental effect on health and wellbeing, particularly through malnutrition and other associated health problems. Lack…
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It’s time to move beyond implementation to make healthy food retail changes successful and sustainable at scale
Dr Adyya Gupta and Professor Anna Peeters It is well established that unhealthy diet is a leading but preventable risk factor for several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including overweight and obesity, type-2 diabetes, dental decay, cardiovascular disease and multiple cancers. According to Australia’s National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2011-12), Australians…
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ANZJPH study shows the benefits of heatwave warnings for our most vulnerable
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA As Australia swelters through another scorching summer, a new report published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH) reveals the economic and health benefits of heatwave warning systems. Already this summer, as of 25 January, Perth has broken heatwave records, with six…
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Powerful pair recognised for decades of persistence at tobacco control
Paris Lord – PHAA Editor’s note: this Intouch post is longer than usual, but is worth your time, particularly if you can remember how ubiquitous smoking and its advertising was in Australia, and the efforts it took to counter that. It’s New Year’s Day 1992. Ascot race course, Perth.…
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PHAA salutes the positive health impacts of Australians of the Year 2022
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA The Public Health Association of Australia congratulates our 2022 Australians of the Year, four remarkable individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving the health of our nation. Your 2022 Australians of the Year 🙌 It was such an inspiring evening having all our state and…
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New study proves laughter is the best medicine
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA Given the world remains in the vice-like grip of this once-in-a-century pandemic, and the start of 2022 sees no end to the COVID-chaos, maintaining a sense of humour hasn’t been easy. Research released recently in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, titled A systematic…
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Let’s get physical: We know it’s potentially life-saving, so how do we get that ‘exercise benefits’ message across?
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA PHAA’s Note: This article does not constitute medical advice. Please see your doctor before starting exercise or physical activity. Is anyone else struggling to live up to their ambitious new year’s resolution to do a minimum of one hour’s exercise every day for this calendar year?…
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Flinders University adjusts to attract and train next generation of public health leaders
Professor Billie Bonevski – Flinders University Recognising the central role public health plays in the most wicked of the global problems we face, Flinders University is reshaping and expanding its Public Health Discipline Group. I’ve been appointed this group’s new Lead, and my responsibilities include an emphasis on increasing Aboriginal…
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All I want for Christmas is an Australian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Terry Slevin, PHAA CEO Mariah Carey’s classic Christmas hit is a commercial radio and shopping centre staple every December. If I could tweak her lyrics, I’d change them to emphasise how essential a Centre for Disease Control and Prevention could be for Australia, and our near neighbours. The wariness many…
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Creating Change: A Systems Change Framework to Drive Action on Chronic Disease
Dr Melanie Pescud, The Australian National University, and Professor Lucie Rychetnik, The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre The Difficulties of the Search for Solutions Research about chronic disease prevention can fall short of achieving positive change – not because it isn’t relevant, but because it too often describes problems, rather…