The Health News Australia April 4 2018
- Research shows that growing up poor can “get under the skin”, setting children up for a lifetime of health and other challenges. It is estimated about 70,000 children in WA are currently living in poverty — where their family’s income is less than 50% of median income. These children are likely, more so than their more affluent peers, to inherit a legacy of greater physical and mental health risks that they will carry with them into adulthood, regardless of whether they find financial security and stability in later life.
- Health consumer groups have called for the use of transvaginal mesh to be suspended while a comprehensive audit of complications is conducted. The call, made by an alliance of 6 state and territory consumer health groups, comes as the law firm Slater and Gordon announced it was investigating a second class action against manufacturers. The devices have been associated with significant, often life-altering complications, including debilitating pain, and have prompted class actions in Australia, the UK, the US and Canada.
- Experts say that as more young Aussies – particularly women – jump on the vegan bandwagon they need to know the potential dangers of the “trendy” diet. Its been found that Australia was the third fastest growing vegan market in the world after the United Arab Emirates and China. The diet excludes the use of animal products and it’s particularly popular with female millennials in Australia.
News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 4th of April 2018. Read by Tabetha Moreto.
Research shows that growing up poor can “get under the skin”, setting children up for a lifetime of health and other challenges. It is estimated about seventy thousand children in Western Australia are currently living in poverty — where their family’s income is less than fifty percent of median income. These children are likely, more so than their more affluent peers, to inherit a legacy of greater physical and mental health risks that they will carry with them into adulthood, regardless of whether they find financial security and stability later in life.
The impact of poverty is a research focus for CoLab, a joint initiative of the Telethon Kids Institute and the Minderoo Foundation that aims to help build the capacity of communities to improve child development and learning. Steve Zubrick, Telethon Kids head of brain and behaviour research focus area, said health disparities emerged among disadvantaged children early, before children even entered school. Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, high blood pressure, obesity and disturbed immune function that can underlie a range of childhood illnesses, including asthma, have all been linked to poverty.
When they become adults, children who grow up poor have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, diseases of the digestive system and mental health disorders. But it is not necessarily the size of their parents’ or carers’ bank balance at the root of these extra challenges. Professor Zubrick said it was the “poverty of relationships and experiences in early childhood” that shaped the poorer outcomes.
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Clusters of multiple issues combined together and conspired to create poverty and a whole range of other outcomes that included physical and mental health issues. This was particularly evident in some indigenous communities where they were behind not only in health outcomes but also in other areas including education, income and employment.
Health consumer groups have called for the use of transvaginal mesh to be suspended while a comprehensive audit of complications is conducted. The call, made by an alliance of six state and territory consumer health groups, comes as the law firm Slater and Gordon announced it was investigating a second class action against manufacturers.
On Wednesday a Senate inquiry delivered a damning report into the use of transvaginal mesh products in Australia. The devices are surgically implanted to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, common childbirth complications. It’s estimated about one hundred fifty thousand women have undergone the procedure in Australia.
The devices have been associated with significant, often life-altering complications, including debilitating pain, and have prompted class actions in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. The Senate inquiry on Wednesday recommended the devices be used only as a “last resort.” It found women were often not properly appraised of less invasive and risky alternatives, such as physiotherapy, and that doctors did not acquire fully informed consent.
The inquiry also warned it was next to impossible to tell how many women had suffered complications, because the reporting of adverse events was haphazard and voluntary. It recommended an audit be conducted of transvaginal mesh procedures by the Australian commission on safety and quality in health care. It also called for mandatory reporting of complications and a national register of high-risk medical devices. Urologists have cautioned against limiting their use for urinary incontinence. The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand said urine leakage was common after childbirth, and that nearly one in ten women would need surgery for stress incontinence by the age of eighty.
Experts say that as more young Aussies – particularly women – jump on the vegan bandwagon they need to know the potential dangers of the “trendy” diet. Sydney dietitian Nicole Dynan said:
“Every man and his dog is interested in veganism.” She predicts that the rise in veganism in Australia will only grow. This is backed by market research firm Euromonitor International which predicts that by two thousand twenty, Australia’s packaged vegan food market would be worth two hundred fifteen million dollars. It also found Australia was the third fastest growing vegan market in the world after the United Arab Emirates and China. Miss Dynan says that the diet, which excludes the use of animal products, is particularly popular with female millennials in Australia.
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But, the Dietitian’s Association of Australia spokeswoman says the veganism trend is starting to trickle into older age groups. The hype around gut- and micro-health has made everyone more aware of the value of plant foods, she says. Underlying concerns about animal welfare – especially as a result of the recent poultry standards debate in Australia – also plays a part, as does the desire for people to manage their weight.
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Between two thousand fourteen and two thousand sixteen, the number of food products launched in Australia carrying a vegan claim rose by ninety two percent, according to The Food Revolution Network. As more Aussies lap up alternative milk, the nation’s Soy and Almond Milk Production has grown steadily too, with the industry worth one hundred fifty eight point three million dollars.
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