PHRP in the news
We are unprepared for climate change impact on allergies
A growing body of international research is connecting climate change to higher concentrations of allergenic pollen, but the lack of research in Australia has Associate Professor Paul Beggs worried. In a review published in Public Health Research & Practice this week, Professor Beggs presented research from around the globe linking climate change to an increased risk of […]
Managing the conversation around naturally occurring asbestos
Asbestos is a word that strikes fear in the general public – and rightly so, as its use in mining and construction has led to thousands of deaths from lung disease and counts as one of the great public health disasters of the modern era. Not so many people know that asbestos is a mineral […]
The good news about Indigenous health
The urgent need to close the gap across a range of health markers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can sometimes obscure the real progress already being made in specific areas. This is the case with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking rates, argue the authors of a research paper that has just been named Best […]
Many Aussies mixing alcohol and energy drinks – and it’s a dangerous combo
Mixing alcohol and energy drinks can disrupt your heart, disturb sleep and bring on anxiety – yet despite the health risks, a lot of Australians are doing it. About 40 percent of drinkers consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks in the past year, per a study published in the Sax Institute journal Public Health Research & […]
How national governments collaborate to improve migrant health and well-being
Australia granted 13,760 humanitarian visas to offshore applicants in 2016-17. This number will increase to a planned offshore program of 18,750 in 2018-19, and there is a continued need to ensure that the health and well-being of these immigrants is safeguarded during the settlement process, as well as mitigating against discrimination. In a paper in Public Health Research […]
‘The catch-22’: refugees to Australia struggle to find work
They might be qualified, committed and keen to work but newly arrived refugees face significant barriers to work – the “catch-22” of needing Australian experience to find employment but requiring employment to gain that experience. Between November 2015 and July last year, Australia resettled an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq in a one-off […]
Australians want better labels on ‘unhealthy’ foods, but not sin taxes
Almost 80% of Australians want clearer labels on unhealthy foods, but far fewer support taxation as a tool to deter consumption. In a survey of 2,474 adults in New South Wales, Cancer Council NSW researchers found that 86% of people supported a colour-coded food labelling system, 79% supported displaying health warning labels on unhealthy food, […]
More awareness needed on health risks of obesity
The number of people with obesity has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, with 63% of the Australian adult population now classed as overweight or obese. This can have negative health effects such as an increased risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. According to research published by the Sax Institute in […]
Dying on the farm: fatality rates in NSW have not improved for more than 10 years, study shows
There are calls for more to be done to boost farm safety after a report found work-related death rates have not improved for more than a decade in New South Wales. A research paper released today by Public Health Research & Practice found farm fatalities rates had not improved between 2001 and 2015. About 370 people died […]
Smoking to lead to more Indigenous deaths, study shows
Smoking-related deaths among Indigenous Australians are likely to continue to rise over the next decade, despite big reductions in smoking rates, a new study led by the Australian National University has found. The researchers say it shows the need to continue successful grassroots efforts to cut smoking rates within indigenous communities. They said more robust […]
