Australians' attitudes about the health system improve!

In recent weeks, two important surveys have been released that provide insight into the health of Australians and their beliefs about the health system - The Menzies-Nous Australian Health Survey and the Australian Health Survey. These surveys highlight areas of success and opportunities for further work to be done. The key findings from the two surveys are outlined below.

Menzies-Nous Australian Health Survey - The full report can be found here. 

How did Australians rate their health in 2012? 

• The majority of Australians rated their health as excellent, very good or good (86%)
• Younger Australians were more likely to rate their own health positively
• Higher levels of financial stress were associated with lower ratings of personal health
• Higher levels of education were associated with more positive health ratings

Has this changed since surveys conducted in 2008 and 2010?

• The ratings by Australians of their own health improved slightly between 2008 and 2012

How did Australians rate the health system in 2012? 

• Australians expressed a high level of confidence in the health care system. Over 85% of Australians expressed confidence in how the health care system would serve them if they were severely ill
• General Practitioners and pharmacies were the most highly used health care services in Australia between July 2011 and July 2012. Pharmacists had the highest rating of services as good-excellent. Services offered by mental health providers received the lowest rating. Australians were most satisfied with their recent visit to a pharmacy. They were least satisfied with their last visit to a residential aged-care facility or nursing home
• Australians living in capital cities generally had a more positive view of the health care system
• The need for more doctors, nurses and other health workers was identified as the area of the health system needing the most improvement
• Australians under high levels of financial stress were substantially less confident in being able to afford the care they needed compared with those with no financial stress. They were also more likely to use mental health providers and less likely to use dentists

Has this changed since surveys conducted in 2008 and 2010?

• Australians have a more positive view of the healthcare system compared to 2008
• Australians rated the services offered by dentists lower in 2012 compared to 2012
• Accessibility to General Practitioners did not change significantly in 2012 when compared with 2010, both for waiting time for an appointment and for after-horus acccess

Australian Health Survey - The full report can be found here.

Have risk factors changed since 2007-08?

Tobacco smoking - Rates of daily smoking have continued to drop to 2.8 million people (16.3%) aged 18 years and over in 2011-12 from 18.9% in 2007-08 and 22.4% in 2001.

Alcohol consumption

• The proportion of people aged 18 years and over who consumed more than two standard drinks per day on average, exceeding the National Health and Medical Research Council lifetime risk guidelines decreased to 19.5% in 2011-12 from 20.9% in 2007-08
• 44.7% of people aged 18 years and over consumed more than four standard drinks at least once in the past year, exceeding the National Health and Medical Research Council single occasion risk guidelines

Overweight and obesity

• Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults aged 18 years and over has continued to rise to 63.4% in 2011-12 from 61.2% in 2007-08 and 56.3% in 1995
• However the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 5-17 has remained stable at 25.3% in 2011-12

Physical measurements

• In 2011-12, the average Australian man (18 years and over) was 175.6 cm tall and weighed 85.9 kg. The average Australian woman was 161.8 cm tall and weighed 71.1 kg
• Between 1995 and 2011-12 the average height for men increased by 0.8 cm for men and 0.4 cm for women
• Between 1995 and 2011-12 the average weight for men increased by 3.9 kg for men and 4.1 kg for women

Waist circumference

• In 2012-12, 60.3% of men aged 18 years and over had a waist circumference that put them at an increased risk of developing chronic disease, while 66.6% of women had an increased level of risk
• On average, men had a waist measurement of 97.9 cm while women had a waist measurement of 87.7 cm

Blood pressure - In 2011-12, just over 3.1 million people (21.5%) aged 18 years and over had measured high blood pressure (systolic or diastolic blood pressure equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg)

Food Reward Fridays

Each Friday, I'm going to post a picture of a modern food so ridiculous it makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.  I'm doing this for two reasons:

1. To raise awareness about the unhealthy, fattening foods that are taking over global food culture.  These are highly rewarding, highly palatable, energy-dense foods that drive people to eat in the absence of hunger, and continue eating beyond calorie needs.  In many cases, the foods have been specifically designed to maximize "craveability" and palatability.
2. Because it's funny.

Without further ado... the first lucky winner:

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October is [Fill in the Blank] Awareness Month- A Guest Post for "The Public's Health"

Today I had the pleasure contributing another guest post on "The Public's Health".  The blog is a collaboration between the Drexel University School of Public Health and Philly.com.  In multiple posts each week, the authors highlight contemporary, historical, and ethical matters that challenge public health professionals.

In today's post, I examine health "awareness campaigns" and discuss their effectiveness for improving public health.

What do you think:  Is the public burned out on annual health observances? Or are they effective in helping to prevent illness/disease? In what other ways can organizations and individuals become more action-oriented to help improve the public’s health?

Rent The Runway Rocks Real Non-Airbrushed Models: Us!

Like many of you, I have tried ordering clothes online.  And it never goes well.  They are always too tight or too long.  They immediately make you feel bad about yourself.  And of course- it is a huge pain to have to pack it up again and mail it back.  And after all that- you still don't have anything to wear!!  Weird, right?  The clothes looked great in the pictures.

 

The frustration of online shopping is a symptom of a larger problem.  Many fashion lines are not made to fit the average woman.  Rader Programs, a group of  eating disorder treatment facilities, estimates that the average model weighs 117 pounds at 5'll and the average woman weighs 140 pounds at 5'4.  No wonder my purchases are too tight and too long!

 

However, I'm feeling optimistic about change being possible in the fashion world.  As of last week, Rent The Runway, an online service that lets users borrow current season high-fashion, has expanded their  use of real women as models on their site.  Users can upload pictures of themselves in the clothes, and include details about their height, weight, and chest size.  The site will also have the capacity to allow users to search for women of similar body type, so that they can see how the clothes actually fit.  I think this is fantastic.  Not only will it hopefully cut down on the dreaded returns, but women will see models that look like them.  It can reduce the shame and stigma that many women feel for lacking the 117 pounds at 5'll "ideal".

 

This initiative follows what I hope is a pattern of push back on pop culture for upholding women to unrealistic ideals that may lead to unhealthy body image.  For example, we are seeing opposition to magazine airbrushing.  Earlier this year, an ambitious eighth-grader put the pressure on Seventeen Magazine to review its policies on airbrushing and consider the impact it could have on young readers.  Her online petition led the magazine to sign an eight-point "Body Peace Treaty", which outlined a commitment to never change models' body or face shapes. 

 

We are seeing celebrities (especially recently!) disclosing their battles with eating disorders- often discussing the pressure they felt being in the entertainment industry.  Over the past few months, we've heard from Katie Couric, Nicole Scherzinger, and Stacy London.   Last year, Pop Health reviewed Portia De Rossi's book- Unbearable Lightness, which discussed her life-threatening eating disorder in much detail. 

 

I hope that we are continuing to see a shift.  I hope that there is less stigma in disclosing or discussing body image concerns and eating disorders.  I also hope that the public continues to make their voices heard...whether they are fighting the magazine airbrush or the high fashion gown that will look terrible on anyone under 5'10.

 

What do you think:  With the initiatives above and their predecessors (e.g., the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty)- do you see evidence of a shift in pop culture from "thin" to "real women"?  What else needs to change to keep this initiative moving forward?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candy at the Cash Register

Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine published an interesting editorial titled "Candy at the Cash Register-- a Risk Factor for Obesity and Chronic Disease."  This fits in well with our discussion of non-homeostatic eating, or eating in the absence of calorie need.

There are a few quotes in this article that I find really perceptive.

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Photos and More Gardening

I've needed new professional and blog photos for a long time.  My friend Adam Roe was in town recently, and he happens to be professional photographer, so he graciously offered to snap a few shots.  Despite less than ideal conditions, he did an outstanding job.  Here's a larger version of the photo on my profile (which Blogger shrinks down to a tiny thumbnail):

To see more of Adam's work, head over to his Facebook page, and don't forget to 'like' and share it if you enjoy it.  Adam is currently based in Berlin.

Gardening Update

Here's a photo of today's harvest (taken by me, not Adam; you can tell by the poor focus and primitive lighting):

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