Released 06/08/2018
The ACT Government has today released the 2018 Chief Health Officer’s Report.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Meegan Fitzharris said the 2018 Report showed a number of improvements in the health of Canberrans, but there is still work to do.
“The Chief Health Officer’s Report reinforces the ACT Government’s focus on the wellbeing of Canberrans to continue to deliver improved health outcomes.
“We need to shift our focus from disease to wellbeing, and there is a clear message in this Report that we need to continue to concentrate our efforts on improving the wellbeing of our community,” Minister Fitzharris said.
“The Government will continue to do this with initiatives that focus on prevention, and build on the significant health improvements we have made in recent years.
“By focusing on the overlapping key risk factors of smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, obesity, poor nutrition and physical inactivity, we will also continue to improve our health outcomes and reduce the burden of chronic disease on our health system and hospitals. If there is one message we need to get out there it is to ‘eat more veggies’,” said Minister Fitzharris.
The Report’s key findings, include:
* the percentage of children aged 5-15 years consuming sugar-sweetened drinks in the ACT is decreasing;
* the proportion of ACT residents aged 14 and up who drank alcohol at risky levels over a lifetime fell from 22 per cent in 2013 to 14.3 per cent in 2016;
* the percentage of people who have never smoked is continuing to increase, with 66 per cent of ACT residents aged 14 and up reporting they had never smoked in 2016;
* there was an increase of hospitalisations for self-harm among young people aged 10 to 24 between 2010-11 and 2015-16;
* the percentage of adults classified as overweight or obese remained stable at 63.5 per cent, however more than 7 in 10 Canberrans aged 45 to 54 fall into this category; and
* there has been a steady increase in chlamydia and gonorrhea rates, particularly in the 20 to 29 year age group, in line with trends being reported across Australia.
“While there is much to be proud of in the latest Chief Health Officer’s Report, our work is not yet done in shaping our city, programs and services towards better health for all,” Minister Fitzharris said.
“The path to a healthier Canberra requires collaboration and connecting our efforts across the health sector, across government and in partnership with academics, industry, community organisations and individuals.
“Working together and pooling knowledge, skills and resources, we have the best chance of delivering a sustained and comprehensive approach to Canberra’s health challenges.”
The ACT Chief Health Officer, Dr Paul Kelly, said he was pleased to present his fourth report on the state of the health of Canberrans to the Government.
“This year’s Report really highlights that the ACT is leading the nation in a number of key areas of health prevention and that this is the result of a strong focus on health prevention initiatives by the Government,” Dr Kelly said.
“However, the Report also shows that as our city increases in size and age, we need to sustain this focus to keep our community healthy.
“The Report will inform many of the future key areas of policy development as our city moves into 2020 and beyond and I look forward to sharing its findings with our local health sector in the coming months.”
The Chief Health Officer’s Report is published every two years to provide information about the health and wellbeing of the ACT population.
The 2018 Report covers health data from July 2014 to June 2016. It provides a wealth of information to inform government and our community by identifying health trends and emerging issues, including information that is aimed at myth busting a number of key concepts in public health.
The 2018 Chief Health Officer’s Report can be viewed here
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Meegan Fitzharris, MLA | Media Releases
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