Over the last decade, the Institute has delivered high-impact evidence from a large program of research and innovation that has influenced health policy and healthcare practice worldwide. From modest beginnings, the founders have built a team of more than 300 staff across centres in Australia, India, China and the United Kingdom. The Institute’s projects now span more than 40 countries worldwide.
Patients with chronic illness need support and encouragement to take their medications. SMS messaging is a simple, cheap and seemingly effective way to keep them on track.
Bruce Neal, George Institute for Global Health and Kathy Trieu, George Institute for Global Health
Kids are eating way too much salty food even though it leads to high blood pressure in adulthood as well as increased risks of stroke, heart attack and kidney disease.
People seeing a doctor for low back pain are often told to take paracetamol. But a study published today shows the drug is ineffective for the condition and its prolonged use has harmful side effects.
Apart from proposing a co-payment for visiting doctors, the last federal budget also contained a proposal to increase the level of co-payments for medications. The government seems to have given little…
In 1954, the first director-general of the World Health Organisation, Dr Brock Chisholm, famously stated: “Without mental health there can be no true physical health.” More than half a century later, we…
While other nations have successfully reduced their sodium intake, Australians are still eating too much salt. And we’re paying the price with our health; a high-salt diet can lead to high blood pressure…
Tony Abbott spent most of this week in North East Arnhem Land, part of his long-held hope “to be not just the Prime Minister but the Prime Minister for Aboriginal Affairs”. We asked our experts: what stories…
This week, the New England Journal of Medicine published three papers about the effects of salt consumption on health. Their apparently contradictory findings have served to further fuel an unwarranted…
People with lower back pain are usually told to take some paracetamol for relief. But research published today shows that this almost universal advice is misguided. Up to 90% of the population will experience…
Most of the salt consumed in Australia is already hidden in processed foods and meals, but there are some simple steps you can take to avoid eating too much of this palatable seasoning. High salt intake…
When the English cricket team toured Australia last year they were ridiculed for their dietary requirements long before their humiliation on the pitch. But while English cricket may be wanting, England’s…
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Patrick Hutchens, The Conversation
Receiving the flu vaccine may almost halve the chance of a heart attack for middle-aged people with narrow arteries, a new study by Australian researchers has found. Heart disease kills and disables more…
One in nine Australians over the age of 25 (that’s 1.7 million people) has chronic kidney disease. That’s more than the number living with chronic lung disease, stroke, heart failure, and all types of…
Recent research linking soft drinks to type 2 diabetes reminds us, once again, that we are what we put in our mouths. This large study from Europe found drinking a 12 ounce (about 355 ml) can of soft drink…
Bruce Neal, George Institute for Global Health and Rob Moodie, The University of Melbourne
The biggest causes of ill health in all but the very least developed countries are now non-communicable or chronic diseases. Lung cancer from smoking, obesity from an unhealthy diet and liver problems…
Out of the 10,021 Australian who died of a heart attack in 2010, 5,305 were experiencing their second such event. Systematic national reforms are needed to reduce the alarming number of people having a…
The global burden of disease data released last week shows that salt is a leading cause of death and disability, and may be responsible for 9.5 million deaths annually. Whilst the most effective way to…
Sugary drinks may get most of the attention in discussions about Australia’s obesity epidemic, but new research from Deakin University has found salt may be a silent contributor to the problem. The study…
Non-communicable diseases – Jacqui Webster looks at strategies for reducing the salt content of our diets. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – typically cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases…
A recent article has questioned received wisdom regarding the adverse impact of salt on health. Unfortunately, naïve researchers and journal editors looking to stir up a controversy are confusing this…