Media Releases
Public wants better labels on unhealthy foods
Regulations to improve food labelling have strong public support, with almost 80% of people surveyed supporting the introduction of better labels on unhealthy foods such as those that are high in sugar, salt and fat. In a survey of 2474 adults in NSW, Cancer Council NSW researchers found that 86% of people supported a colour-coded […]
Indigenous Australians achieve major progress in reducing smoking, but tobacco’s lethal legacy remains
The number of smoking-related deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is predicted to continue to increase, and to peak over the next decade, resulting in thousands of premature deaths that are largely preventable. In a paper in the latest edition of the Sax Institute’s journal Public Health Research & Practice, researchers report that […]
Balance urged in cancer screening to avoid health pitfalls of ‘one size fits all’ approach
26 July: Experts have called for a rethink of cancer screening in the light of improved understanding of the complications and consequent poorer outcomes that can result from overdiagnosis of some cancers. In a series of articles published today in the Sax Institute’s Public Health Research & Practice journal, researchers say a ‘one size fits […]
Dysfunctional mental health system urgently needs much more than money: Ian Hickie
27 March: One of Australia’s leading authorities on mental health has challenged the sector to reform what he says is a dysfunctional system instead of just seeking additional funding to “paper over the cracks and support ineffective programs”. In an editorial in the latest edition of the Sax Institute’s journal Public Health Research & Practice, […]
Communicating health risks in a post-truth world
15 February: Public officials faced with the tough task of communicating risk on contentious issues like vaccination or fluoridation – where the actual risk is low but public concern remains high – need to show that they care, demonstrate that they are taking action and strategically engage with the media. That’s the message of a […]
Exotic mosquitoes a clear and present Zika and dengue danger for Australians
14 December: Australia may be at risk of a widespread outbreak of Zika or dengue unless more is done to prevent the establishment of exotic mosquitoes that can carry these diseases in the country, according to a paper published today in the Sax Institute’s Public Health Research & Practice journal. “While we can’t prevent people […]
New research finds restricting alcohol trading hours substantially reduces violence
30 September: Restricting alcohol trading hours can substantially reduce rates of violence and relaxing trading hours has the opposite effect, according to the first systematic review of alcohol trading hours and violence in more than five years. The review, published today in the Sax Institute’s Public Health Research & Practice journal, analyses 21 separate studies […]
Forty years of the Nurses’ Health Study: an evidence gold mine with a long-lasting legacy
15 July 2016: It started in 1976 as an investigation into the potential health consequences of oral contraceptives, but the long-running Nurses Health Study has yielded increasingly greater benefits to scientific knowledge of health and disease, according to a paper published today in the journal Public Health Research & Practice. The Perspective paper by Dr […]
Hospital emergency departments show promise in war on tobacco
15 July 2016: Hospital emergency departments could be strategically recruited into efforts to reduce smoking, which still kills 15,000 Australians every year, according to a research paper published in today’s issue of the journal Public Health Research & Practice. Melbourne researchers found that seven in every 10 smokers surveyed in two Victorian emergency departments (EDs) […]
E-cigarettes may pose passive smoking risk; action needed on continuing asbestos exposure
15 April 2016: E-cigarette vapour can contain harmful chemicals with known adverse health effects and may pose a passive smoking risk, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women, according to a study published today in the journal Public Health Research & Practice. Researchers from Health Protection NSW reviewed the current evidence on […]
