Category: Prevention
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Using a One Health lens to strengthen epidemic preparedness systems
Syeda Tazrian Islam, Andrea Britton, Peter Black, and Babatunde Balogun Every 27 December, the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness encourages global reflection on how we build strong and resilient health systems. The 2025 theme, Strengthening Global Health Systems for Future Crises, is particularly relevant for Australia as the interim…
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The global food system’s broken: there are now more obese children than underweight
Claire Johnson For the first time in history, obesity among school-age children and adolescents has overtaken underweight worldwide. That is the headline finding of UNICEF’s 2025 Child Nutrition Report: Feeding Profit released today, which I co-authored during my time at UNICEF Headquarters as the Global Technical Lead for Food Environments…
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Australian CDC: one giant leap for public health
Professor Paul M Kelly Last week saw a largely under reported but important milestone for public health in Australia and beyond. The draft legislation was introduced in Parliament to establish an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) as a statutory agency under the Minister for Health. The Public Health Association…
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Prevention is Political – Reflections from the 2025 Preventive Health Conference
Allyson Todd I am grateful to have been supported by the PHAA NSW Branch Scholarship to attend the 2025 Preventive Health Conference in Canberra. It felt both surreal and serendipitous to be in Australia’s capital just days before the 3 May federal election under the conference theme ‘Prevention is…
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If this is a ‘health election’, it is failing
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin If this is a ‘health election’, it is missing a vital puzzle piece. Our major parties are throwing billions at promises to treat health problems, but are offering virtually nothing to keep us healthy in the first place. The national budget for health expenditure is one…
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Prevention is political
We’re calling on the next Australian Government to allocate at least 5% of health expenditure to prevention. Find out more on PHAA’s 2025 Election Priorities site. You can also register for PHAA’s Preventive Health Conference, held in Canberra (Ngunnawal country) on 28-30 April 2025. This is part of an ongoing…
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When it comes to youth mental health, listen to voices that matter
Matilda Houlihan, Kylie Maidment, Stephen Carbone, Lachlan Kent, Thea Orr, and members of the Prevention United Youth Advisory Group (YAG) – Alannah Sander, Chuan Huang Hii, Emily Howells, Isaac Yau, Jasmine Toronis, Katherine Georghiou, Lauren Jackson, Sumeyye Nur Gungor, Wesley Chen, and Zinzan Hunt-Rosacker Prevention United today released the results…
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We need a public health approach to psychological wellbeing
Dr Matthew Fisher The main public health challenges of our time lie with human psychology, where increasing rates of distress and mental ill-health intersect with other social problems such as family violence, substance abuse, and social division. Despite strong evidence on social determinants of mental health mediated by psychosocial stress,…
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Spend on prevention to save money and lives
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin The best trip to the hospital is the one avoided. The world was changed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Western Australia shut itself off from the world to avoid its worst ravages. As a result, the government which shut the gate was re-elected with record support.…
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Toward a comprehensive approach to obesity
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, Clare Hughes, Anita Dessaix, Associate Professor Kate McBride, Jasmine Lykissas There is an urgent need for public health action on obesity, and a current window of policy opportunity for nationally coordinated advocacy. This urgent need for action reflects the persistently high levels of obesity among Australian…
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Gambling is a public health issue, and must be treated like one
Malcolm Baalman Gambling in Australia is a major public health issue. Australians are, per capita, the world’s ‘biggest losers’, with losses of personal disposable income sitting around $25 billion per annum. That’s about $1,500 per adult. And that’s a 2018 estimate – it’s likely this figure has now surpassed the…
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New study shows public health research is put in the backseat
Hon. Assoc Prof Leanne Coombe and Dr Saman Khalatbari-Soltani We have all heard the old saying – prevention is better than cure. As Australia’s health system struggles with the growing burden of preventable disease, Government investment in public health research to discover new ways to stem the growing tide of illness…
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It’s time to talk seriously about preventing obesity
Lily Pratt and Professor Caroline Miller Obesity is a major driver of the rising diabetes rates in Australia, and is responsible for over 55% of the total disease burden of type 2 diabetes. Around two thirds of Australians currently live with overweight or obesity; further exacerbating existing inequities. Earlier this…
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Diabetes and obesity rise to top of national agenda
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, PHAA Last night, Dr Mike Freelander, paediatrician and member for the south western Sydney seat of Macarthur, handed down the House of Representatives Health Committees Report on “The state of Diabetes Mellitus in Australia 2024”. The Report shows that five per cent of the population live…
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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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Early interventions crucial for children’s mental health: Prof Sharon Goldfeld
PHAA The inaugural Preventive Mental Health Symposium, which happens in Melbourne and online on 12 March, marks the first time experts from the mental health and public health sectors get together to discuss ways to protect and promote mental wellbeing. It’s hosted by the Public Health Association of Australia, in…
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Proceed with caution, parents – zero alcohol drinks are not risk-free
Mr Nathan Harrison and Dr Ashlea Bartram You might have noticed that there are more and more zero-alcohol drinks appearing on shelves in Australia. Non-alcoholic beers, wines and spirits (containing <0.5% alcohol), are designed to look and taste like the alcoholic versions of the brands they are modelled on and…
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Comprehensive vaping reforms needed to protect kids
Dr Matthew Tuson and Angela Gazey “Brick and mortar” vape stores have proliferated across Australia in recent years. One only needs to search ‘vape stores’ on Google Maps to see their ubiquitous presence. Our recent research, published in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH), identified almost…
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Rachel Fishlock on increasing First Nations’ leadership across Australia’s mental health system
PHAA We know that collaborations between the public health and mental health sectors are vital to bridge the gap between what works and what’s happening in practice and policy. One effort toward that is the inaugural Preventive Mental Health Symposium, which will be held in Melbourne and online on Tuesday…
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Preventive mental health is the way forward: Dr Luke Martin
PHAA The situation is urgent. The prevalence and impact of mental health conditions continues to rise and the demand for mental healthcare services is exceeding their availability, despite steadily increasing investment in treatment. The inaugural Preventive Mental Health Symposium, to be held in Melbourne on 12 March, is shifting the gear…
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Sober curiosity on the rise amid growing concern about alcohol
Jasmine Lykissas The Australian legend of a man with a beer permanently in hand has shaped our country’s culture for the past two centuries. Drinking was transported to Australia during colonisation, when boatloads of prisoners from the Irish and British Isles would commiserate and celebrate with bottles of rum. Alcohol…
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No health without mental health: Dr Carbone on prevention
PHAA The inaugural Preventive Mental Health Symposium, to be held in Melbourne on 12 March, is a must for anyone interested in mental wellbeing promotion and mental ill-health prevention. Dr Stephen Carbone, is CEO of Prevention United and symposium sponsor, and is also a Co-Convenor of PHAA’s Mental Health Special…