It’s important to challenge those who seek to demonise parents who use alcohol and drugs as “bad parents”, according to Donna Ribton-Turner, Director Clinical Services at UnitingCare ReGen. Rather than scapegoating parents with alcohol and drug issues, they deserve appropriate support and care, she says. *** Stigmatising vulnerable families only makes things worse Donna Ribton-Turner [...]
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Every year. One million babies. Die on the day they are born.
Unprecedented progress has been made in reducing maternal and child deaths around the world since 1990, according to a new report from Save the Children. Nonetheless, the statistics remain shocking. Of the three million babies who die each year in their first month of life, almost two-thirds are from just ten countries. Thanks to Joanne [...]
READ MORENew review on chemical residues backs breastfeeding
Concerns about the presence of man-made chemicals in our bodies should not deter women from breastfeeding, according to a new review of the scientific evidence. The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) says breastmilk contains protective agents and helps children develop a strong immune system. Breastfeeding can mitigate the effects of chemical exposure in the [...]
READ MORESome advice for researchers and services wanting to improve Aboriginal health
Some suggestions for how researchers and health services might do a better job of engaging with Aboriginal patients and communities have come from a research project spanning rural, regional and remote NSW. The suggestions include taking time to develop trust and relationships (including with community members outside of the health sector), recruiting Aboriginal staff, and [...]
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High-speed broadband is high on the federal election agenda for the rural health lobby
The availability of high-speed broadband in rural and remote areas will be a critical election issue if rural health advocates have their way. The 12th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide made 17 priority recommendations for advancing the health of rural and remote communities, with equitable access to high-speed broadband at the top of the [...]
READ MORETwo new reports urge wide-ranging action on the social determinants of health. But will anything change (especially for those on Newstart)?
This post provides an overview of two new reports on the social determinants of health, and at the bottom is a link to a recent overview of global inequality by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz. *** The Senate committee reports, but will it make any difference? At last, we have the findings of a long-overdue inquiry [...]
READ MORENo simple answers for parental alcohol and drug use
Donna Ribton-Turner, Director of Clinical Services at UnitingCare ReGen argues that we need a more complex approach to supporting families dealing with alcohol and drug problems. Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use is a topic that tends to generate passionate public debate. Problematic AOD use by parents (particularly of illicit drugs) is one issue that [...]
READ MORELinking you into the new dietary and infant feeding guidelines, and more
It’s taken nearly four years, reviews of about 55,000 research publications, and endless meetings, consultations and negotiations. (Plenty of blood, sweat and tears, in other words.) Today the NHMRC finally launched the new Australian Dietary Guidelines and Infant Feeding Guidelines (available here with masses of supporting material). The aim of this post (thrown together in [...]
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As energy policy threatens our health, who cares about the children? (And some healthy reading on climate change)
Australia’s reliance on carbon intensive energy systems and failure to develop renewable energy sources is a critical health concern, according to a briefing paper prepared for a Health and Energy Policy roundtable meeting in Canberra tomorrow. The paper (which can be downloaded from the Climate and Health Alliance website) argues that energy policy has failed [...]
READ MOREFood ads’ fatuous ploys beat kids TV rules
The campaign to curb the promotion of unhealthy food has not only the strident claims of “nanny state” to counter. There are also the “health washing” tactics of the food industry, pushing high sugar, high fat and high salt products to children and their parents. These ploys range from the fatuous to the fanciful, but [...]
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