More than 75% of Australians support a ban on junk food advertising in children’s television, and almost 20% support a total ban, according to a poll by the Australian National University on attitudes…
Researchers have been telling us for decades that being overweight is not good for our health. Medical journals are full of articles that link overweight and obesity to just about every disease and illness…
Around 2.6 million or 10% of Australians are obese. Obesity contributes to other diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnoea, infertility, depression and cancer. The strength…
Stillbirth is a major but under-researched public health problem affecting three million families each year. Following the 2011 Lancet Stillbirth Series, it has been receiving more attention, and a recent…
Fat people having sex, ugly people having sex, old people having sex. All too readily our culture cringes, shudders, if not gags at the thought. After all, if film and television have taught us anything…
People who worry about their appearance are more likely to discriminate against obese people, a new study has found. Researchers gave bogus resumes to 102 university students and asked them to discuss…
With one in five Australian preschool-age children now overweight or obese, it’s no wonder kids’ weight is so often in the media spotlight. While the causes of obesity are complex and multifactorial, it’s…
The debate about the health implications of sugar consumption began back in 1972 when Professor John Judkin, from the University of London, published Pure, White and Deadly, which linked sugar intake to…
Parents in Australia recently made headlines expressing frustration with a health-care system that confuses weight with health. They’ve been expressing their anger at two related, but separate, offenses…
You don’t need to follow the “no pain, no gain” mantra to reap the health benefits of exercise, a new study shows. Military-style boot camps that deliver fast-paced, high-intensity training (and chastise…
People who eat chocolate on a regular basis tend to be thinner, even when they do not exercise more often, a new study claims. But health experts have warned that the findings of the study, published today…
In The Conversation’s first editorial meeting editor Andrew Jaspan explained what he wanted to achieve with the site: a more informed level of debate, based on evidence, research and expert opinion. It…
Cancer is one of the most common public health threats facing Australians and accounts for nearly one-fifth of the disease burden in this country. The direct cost to the Australian community is approaching…
Governments “must act now” to avert tens of thousands of cancer cases - and millions in medical bills - with policies that will improve diet and exercise among Australians, researchers say. Scientists…
Professor and Programme Director, SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand