The Health News Australia March 14 2018

• Advocacy group Council on the Ageing is calling for a whole-of-government ageing strategy that prioritises health, particularly oral and mental health, aged care reform, economic security and elder abuse in its pre-budget submission to the federal government. Within its submission on health, COTA asks the government to address the “worsening oral health crisis” for older people through an older Australians oral health strategy and a dental benefits schedule (along the lines of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule).
• A University of Queensland study has found that being underweight or overweight could affect the age at which women experience menopause.  School of Public Health researcher Professor Gita Mishra and PhD candidate Dongshan Zhu found underweight women were at higher risk of early menopause, while overweight and obese women were more likely to experience late menopause.
• According to a new report, some of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs have lower than average rates of child immunisation. The latest New South Wales Annual Immunisation Coverage Report showed an overall increase in children being fully immunised for all key milestone ages — 12 months, 24 months and five years — in 2016.
  

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 14th of March 2018. Read by Tabetha Moreto.

https://www.thesenior.com.au/health/call-to-fix-seniors-oral-health/

Advocacy group Council on the Ageing is calling for a whole-of-government ageing strategy that prioritises health, particularly oral and mental health, aged care reform, economic security and elder abuse in its pre-budget submission to the federal government. Within its submission on health, COTA asks the government to address the “worsening oral health crisis” for older people through an older Australians oral health strategy and a dental benefits schedule (along the lines of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule).

It also seeks the development of a mental health strategy for older people, focused on removing age discrimination in accessing mental health care, older age suicide prevention and replicating or expanding the mental health community support introduced under the National Disability Insurance Scheme to reach older people.
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An increase in workforce participation for over-fifties, gender equality in retirement incomes, increasing the rate of Newstart and increasing Commonwealth rent assistance by thirty percent are some of the financial initiatives sought. Calling elder abuse a “cancer in Australian society that needs to be tackled now”, COTA wants to see the development of an elder abuse national framework and plan.

http://health.uq.edu.au/article/2018/03/weight-plays-role-menopause-age

A University of Queensland study has found that being underweight or overweight could affect the age at which women experience menopause.  School of Public Health researcher Professor Gita Mishra and PhD candidate Dongshan Zhu found underweight women were at higher risk of early menopause, while overweight and obese women were more likely to experience late menopause.  

Mister Zhu said: “We looked at data from more than twenty four thousand women and found the average age of menopause was about fifty one years.”

He added: “Overweight and obese women had more than fifty percent higher risk of experiencing late menopause. These associations were stronger for women who were underweight or obese at least five years prior to the onset of menopause.”

Mister Zhu said early menopause was associated with a higher risk of heart disease, type two diabetes and osteoporosis, while late menopause increased the risk of breast and endometrial cancers. He added: “The link between obesity and late onset of menopause could be explained by a number of factors, including hormone levels and genetics, but more specific research is needed.” The research involved international collaborators and is published in the European Journal of Epidemiology.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-10/sydney-wealthiest-suburbs-among-lowest-vaccination-rates/9534878

According to a new report, some of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs have lower than average rates of child immunisation. The latest New South Wales Annual Immunisation Coverage Report showed an overall increase in children being fully vaccinated for all key milestone ages — twelve months, twenty four months and five years — in two thousand sixteen.

However, the Northern Sydney Local Health District (LHD) — which covered the wealthier suburbs including Manly, Mosman, Killara and Palm Beach — recorded a full immunisation rate of eighty eight point three percent among infants aged twenty four months, lower than the state average of ninety point five percent. The rate of full immunisation for the milestone ages of twelve months and five years old in the Northern Sydney LHD were higher, but still below the rest of the state and country.

New South Wales Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard, said the overall results were promising, but there were some areas in Sydney and Northern NSW which were behind the rest of the state.
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Overall, in NSW the rate of twelve-month-olds who have been fully vaccinated increased from ninety two point eight percent in two thousand fifteen to ninety three point five percent in two thousand sixteen. For the twenty four-month age group, an increase from eighty nine point six percent in two thousand fifteen to ninety point five in two thousand sixteen was recorded. The rate of children fully immunised at five years of age increased slightly, from ninety three point one percent in two thousand fifteen to ninety three point two percent in two thousand sixteen.