PHRP in the news
Institutional racism silencing Indigenous knowledge in health care
A new report from the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health has found institutional racism leads to a silencing of Indigenous knowledges, perspectives and cultural practices which are crucial to closing the gap in health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The report was authored by several Indigenous leaders and noted the reluctance in health […]
Tailored public health messages on COVID vital in reaching diverse and disadvantaged populations
Many of the groups in the Australian population who are at the greatest risk from COVID-19 – including those with chronic disease – are also the least likely to understand the public health messages aimed at keeping them and the broader community safe from the pandemic. That’s the concerning finding from the first Australian research to look […]
PHRP Awards: childhood obesity prevention is hard – but here’s one program that has worked
Around a quarter of NSW children are either obese or overweight, according to NSW Health – a shocking statistic which is likely to be replicated across the country. And while we’ve long known what we need to do to combat the problem – get kids to eat better and exercise more – the issue has […]
PHRP Awards: how the lobbying industry can be bad for our health
The steady flow of politicians and government staffers switching sides to lobby for powerful food, alcohol and gambling companies poses a serious threat to public health, according to the authors of what has just been named Best Paper in the Sax Institute’s annual Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards. The study, published in the […]
Big drop in funds to fight smoking
Spending on anti-smoking public health campaigns has plummeted over the past decade as health experts say Australia risks losing its momentum on tobacco control. A journal article calculates that spending by the Australian, NSW and Victorian government fell from $36m in 2010 to $7.1m in 2018. This occurred even as the overall cost to Australia […]
How to make anti-smoking campaigns more persuasive
A new paper published in Public Health Research & Practice, a peer-reviewed journal of the Sax Institute, analysed the evidence around which marketing strategies worked best for anti-smoking campaigns. Here, the paper’s lead author, Sarah Beasley, Make Smoking History Campaign Coordinator at Cancer Council WA, discusses her tips on what makes an effective campaign. Read the full article at B&T
Aust’s anti-smoking campaigns have waned
Australia has lost its momentum on tobacco control, with government investment in mass media quit-smoking campaigns plummeting to about one-fifth of the amount spent a decade ago. The annual overall cost to Australia caused by smoking was recalculated last year to nearly $137 billion – more than four times the previous estimate reported in 2004, […]
COVIDSafe might actually be useful after all
COVIDSafe, Australia’s coronavirus contact tracing app, may not be totally useless, according to modelling released on Tuesday by the Sax Institute in Sydney. The peer-reviewed research shows that it would be “vital” to continue social distancing and large-scale testing to avoid a so-called “second wave” of COVID-19 infections, but also that COVIDSafe “has the potential to be […]
COVIDSafe was ‘sunscreen’ for coronavirus, until it wasn’t. Have we chosen the right solution to the pandemic?
When it launched, COVIDSafe was marketed as Australia’s ticket out of lockdown, so long as everyone downloaded it. “If you want to go outside when the sun is shining, you have got to put sunscreen on. This is the same thing,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time. Two months on, state and territory health […]
COVIDSafe will help us ride second wave
With an effective COVID-19 vaccine possibly still more than a year away, it’s no surprise to see enormous interest in ways of treating the disease or limiting its spread. We certainly cannot afford to write off prematurely approaches that evidence suggests offer large potential benefits. The Australian COVIDSafe app is a good example. See the […]
