As fate would have it, she was on the phone with Bupa telehealth nurse, Kirsten, who’d called to check in on Leonore after a recent hospital stay.

The 88-year-old says she owes her life to the former intensive care nurse, who recognised Leonore was having a stroke , called for an ambulance, and made sure she stayed on the line until help arrived.

In an emotional reunion, Leonore and Kirsten recount what happened, drawing comfort in the fact fate had connected them on that day – and admit it may have had a very different outcome.

Leonore’s story

“I remember Kirsten saying, there's something wrong. You need help, I'll call an ambulance.”

“I have to say there was no warning whatsoever. Not a headache, nothing to pre-warn me. Nothing unusual about it.”

“I remember I got a phone call and as I answered it, I was sitting down, comfortable and relaxed, talking to this lovely lady from Bupa who was calling to see how I was after being in hospital.”

“We're having a lovely chat, but it didn't last very long. My voice just went a little bit strange and then I found it was really, really difficult to talk.”

“I was making the noise but they weren't forming into words.”

“My children will vouch for you that I'm pretty good talker usually.”

“I remember Kirsten saying, there's something wrong. You need help, I'll call an ambulance.”

“I was wearing my emergency bracelet, so I pressed that too which brought our village manager down and she sat with me and held my hand.”

“Kirsten stayed on the phone and kept talking to me and kept me calm, which was really wonderful to have her voice all the time. To have a nurse on the phone as it was happening, I am absolutely blessed. 100% blessed.”

“If I’d been by myself, I probably wouldn’t have called for help.”

“At hospital, an MRI showed I’d had a small stroke. I was cleared within a week to come home, which is what I really wanted to do.”

“I’m not ready to leave this earth yet, too many good things happening in life. Especially when there's a lot of little younger ones in the family, we've got to be around for them.”

“It's just that I would love to thank everybody that was around on that particular moment in life to help me. I think the quicker you get treatment or anything like that, the better it's going to before you later off down the line.”

“If you feel there's something not quite right, just get help straight away and be perhaps a little bit alert if you've got something that you feel isn't quite feeling right in your head.”

Kirsten’s story

“I remember just talking to Leonore to reassure her I was there, to stay on the line and help was on the way.”

 “I've been nursing for nearly 20 years now, mostly in hospitals and in intensive care units.”

“I think you learn over time that when you are in an emergency situation, it's very rarely a straight line. It's very rarely textbook. You have to critically think, and problem solve your way through it, and I know through experience, you have to stay really calm to do that effectively.”

“Leonore’s was a routine call that was part of Bupa’s Recovery Support Program, where we reach out to our customers within a few days of coming home from hospital. We’re there to make sure they’ve got all the information and support they need for a safe recovery at home.”

“We'd been talking and having such a clear conversation, then when Lenore suddenly became quite confused. I knew that something was really wrong - I was immediately very concerned,”

“I initiated our emergency procedure, and it became obvious we needed to get her urgent help, as her speech continued to deteriorate.”

“I kept talking to Leonore to see if this had happened before. However, she became more and more confused. I reassured her I was getting an ambulance and asked her to press her emergency button. I remember just talking to Leonore to reassure her I was there, to stay on the line and help was on the way.”

“We hear a lot about strokes these days and what signs should people look out for. As with Leonore, people have changes in their speech or become confused and not be able to finish a sentence.”

“Time is very important. You need to get that person help straight away.”

The emotional reunion 

Leonore and Kirsten meet face to face for the first time

“I’m in debt for you for the rest of my life.”

Leonore: How incredible to meet the voice at the other end. Darling, it’s so good to see you. I’ve wanted to hug you so many times. That was such a special moment in our lives. You are just meant to ring at that time Our stars were aligned, weren’t they? I’m in debt for you for the rest of my life, you realise that. Your voice gave me that feeling of “don’t worry”. You had that positiveness that it’ll be ok.

 Kirsten:

It was so lucky that I was able to be with you at that time and support you. I’m so grateful I was able to be there with you and am grateful you are now okay. To see you  now, in person, and be able to connect face to face has been really incredible. I wouldn't call myself a hero. I think, you show up as a health professional and you’re here to help people. I was just doing my job.

 Learn more about the signs of stroke and how Bupa’s supporting stroke survivors, like Leonore.

At 66-years-old, Pam could retire, but as Unit Coordinator at Bupa Cashmere View Care Home, in Christchurch, she’s not quite ready to give up the job she loves.

“I love being able to make a difference each day in the lives of other people, and that comradery working with very likeminded people within the profession,” she says.

Pam joined Bupa in 1999. Prior to this she worked at Christchurch, Nelson, Westland and Southern Cross Hospitals, and ran a Health Clinic at a local High School.

Initially starting one day a week as a Registered Nurse at Bupa Cashmere View, it wasn’t long before Pam was helping set up the care home’s two Psychogeriatric Units and moving into the full-time role of Unit Coordinator.

In this role she gives clinical support to people with advanced brain disease, who are in the late stages of their illness, and to the team that she works with.

“Everybody’s brain disease, and progression of that, is really unique and different to them. So, the role of myself and the team is to ensure that every one of those people has the best plan of care around them so that right up until the end, they can maintain a quality of life. A big part of that is also helping support the families through that journey as well,” she says.

While a lot has changed since Pam trained as a nurse at the age of 17 in the 1970s, one thing hasn’t – the essence of nursing.

“Over the 40 plus years, I haven’t seen that change at all – the nurses’ role is still to give the best quality care and to continuously seek the best outcomes for their patients. While the way we train nurses may have changed, what we train nurses for hasn’t,” she says.

When Pam looks back over her career, she is proud to have been able to provide care, compassion and education to patients, their families, and her colleagues.

“I’ve worked with thousands of patients and colleagues over the years, and I think I grew and developed in my nursing career, but at the same time I can look back and see how my nursing career grew and developed me as an individual,” she says.

“I’ve learnt not to judge anybody and that everybody has a story and a history that shapes them and makes them uniquely who they are. I think that is a remarkable thing to gain from a job that you love.”

Her love for the job also extends to a love for Bupa Cashmere View, having chosen to remain working at the care home for over 20 years.

“I love Bupa Cashmere View as employees have been here for many, many years, so we’ve been able to develop and grow teams who are very committed,” she says.

“There’s also never been a reason why I would leave, because anything I have wanted to achieve in terms of training or leadership, I’ve been able to achieve here.”

For anyone contemplating a career in nursing, Pam says, “It’s rewarding, it’s exhausting and it’s life changing. Only another nurse can really understand what it is to be a nurse and the joys, frustrations and complexities of the job – but I love it, so go for it”.

This includes the development of a suicide prevention app LifeBuoy, which has been shown to reduce suicidal thoughts among young people, while increasing feelings of general wellbeing

“Mental health is a major issue among young people, particularly due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research has shown that mental health has worsened for around 75 per cent of young people during this time. We know that they are very comfortable using technology, so ultimately, I’d like to see technology being used to facilitate positive change in the mental health of young people,” Dr Han said.

“This award will allow me to further some of my early stage ideas that I might not have otherwise been able to progress. I’m super excited and honoured to be named the Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Health Researcher of the Year.”

Professor Samuel Harvey, Director of Discovery at the Black Dog Institute said awards like these provide much-needed community recognition and support to young researchers which help encourage them to continue their research and set their career path.

“Jin is a rising star here at the Black Dog Institute, with her research tackling some of the biggest mental health issues we are facing as a society. More young people than ever are reporting depression and anxiety symptoms. While many see technology as part of the problem, what makes Jin stand out is that she wants to harness that technology to find solutions,” Professor Harvey said.

The Bupa Health Foundation has named an additional four award finalists and five Commendations resulting in a total investment of $50,000 into Australia’s brightest health and medical researchers, building on our overall investment of more than $2 million this year.

Bupa Director of Clinical Governance, Dr Zoe Wainer said while this has been a challenging year in funding for the research sector, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of swift and targeted responses to health problems, and the need to support innovations in this field.

“The calibre of this year’s 110 nominees was incredibly high and is a testament to the health and medical research talent we have in Australia. Our finalists span across a range of important health research areas and have shown exceptional talent, dedication and persistence in their research careers, while ensuring their research leads to tangible improvements in health of the Australian community,” Dr Wainer said.

“We are yet to see the full mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and new innovations such as Dr Han’s LifeBuoy app will be critical in helping to support many young Australians through this difficult period,” she added.

This year’s Bupa Emerging Health Researcher finalists, who will each receive a $5,000 grant are:

• Dr Amanda Gwee from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute for her work in improving the use of antibiotics to treat serious infections in Australian Children.
• Dr Alice Grady from the University of Newcastle for her research into preventing childhood obesity.
• Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda from the University of Queensland who is identifying new drug therapies for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.
• Dr Alexandra Jones from The George Institute for Global Health for her work informing best-practice policy action to improve food environments which impact the health of the community.

Dr Calos Garcia Esperon from John Hunter Hospital, Dr Jake Linadon from Deakin University, Dr Kiah Evans from Telethon Institute, Dr Lana McClements from University of Technology and Dr Joyce Siette from Macquarie University all received Commendations and will receive a $1,000 grant each.

For more information on the finalists, visit here.

It is a disease without a cure, but it is entirely preventable.

The Endgame Strategy, brings together experience, knowledge and evidence in a comprehensive long-term strategic plan to end RHD in Australia by 2031.

Bupa has been a proud END RHD Charter signatory since 2018 when we launched our updated Reconciliation Action Plan with a renewed focus on working towards health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

To demonstrate our commitment to ending RHD Bupa committed close to half a million dollars to support a community-led program in three high-risk remote communities in the Northern Territory aimed at developing culturally appropriate strategies to treat and prevent the disease. Community-based programs, such as this one, are identified as a priority action area in the Endgame Strategy.

World-leading RHD expert and senior author of the Endgame Strategy, Telethon Kids Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM, said the strategy’s release marked the first time a comprehensive evidence base had been developed showing how eliminating RHD across Australia could be done.

“With the release of this Endgame Strategy we now have the blueprint outlining exactly what needs to happen to both prevent new cases and improve the quality of life for those already living with the disease,” Professor Carapetis said.

“RHD is rare among non-Indigenous people, yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have some of the highest rates of the disease in the world. This is a disease that is usually only seen in developing countries and its persistence in Australia is an ongoing injustice,” he said.

Dr Zoe Wainer, Bupa’s Director of Clinical Governance praised END RHD’s work which will allow many in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to live longer and healthier lives.

“While this disease may not be a well-known one, it can have a lasting and devastating impact on many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. But most importantly, it is preventable.

Research suggests there are many common issues that can be heightened during disease outbreaks, including: panic, depression, anger, confusion and uncertainty, with up to a third of people experiencing high levels of worry and anxiety^[1]. Any mental health issue people might be experiencing can be amplified while struggles with addiction or family violence could get worse. Social isolation can also increase feelings of loneliness, grief and self-doubt.

Bupa’s Senior Mental Health & Wellbeing Advisor, Chanel Nesci says there has never been a more important time to connect with people and provide support to those who might be struggling.

5 helpful tips for asking R U OK?

1. Prepare yourself to ask the question. Make sure you’re in a good headspace, have time to listen and be prepared that the person you are speaking to may not be okay.
2. Have the conversation in a place that’s private and informal where you can listen without judgment. Give the person time to think and take what they say seriously.
3. In a situation where you find a person isn’t okay, the next best step is to encourage action. Asking questions like, “What would be a good first step we can take?” or “How can I help you with this?” can prompt someone to identify what they may be needing.
4. If someone is needing more urgent support or if they mention that they are thinking about taking their own life, link them to urgent medical support or call services such as Lifeline. Where life is in immediate danger, contact 000.
5. Remember to check in on the person regularly, to see if they have accessed any support or found ways to better manage their situation.
6. If you feel worried or concerned about people around you, make sure that you seek support for yourself, as this may have an impact on you too.

COVID-19 has dramatically changed social environments, particularly in Victoria where most people have been largely confined to their homes during stage 4 restrictions.

“If you can’t connect with someone in person, take the time to pick up the phone or set up a video chat to ask R U OK? It could be the most important conversation you have all year.

“It’s also vital that anyone who is struggling with their mental health consults a GP or qualified health professional who can provide support and treatment options. Don’t wait for the pandemic to pass, to access support for your mental health,” Chanel said.

What Bupa is doing to support the mental health of its customers

The Bupa Health Foundation recently donated more than $2 million in funding to projects supporting the mental health of young Australians. This has helped grow the My Circle digital platform, where young people can connect anonymously with their peers for online group counselling, and expand the Kids Helpline@School program to reach more primary schools across Australia.

Bupa has also provided male customers in Victoria free access to an online wellbeing hub, in partnership with Australian mental health solution provider Mindstar and digital innovator Go1, to assist them in the face of the growing mental health challenges triggered by the social and financial impacts of the state’s Stage 4 restrictions.

Psychology has been identified as the second most common telehealth claim for Bupa since it began funding services delivered over the telephone on March 25. As physical distancing restrictions eased across Australia in May, Bupa continues to fund both telehealth and face to face psychological services.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our aged care residents haven’t been able to see their loved ones as often as they would like. Finding new ways to maintain virtual connections has been important in looking after our residents’ mental wellbeing during this time. We’ve introduced a number of new ways to keep in touch including through video calls on new iPads in each home, a dedicated aged care app, private Facebook groups and by asking local communities to send in letters and drawings as part of our Visits By Mail initiative.

Media reference number: 20/095

^{[1] Blackdoginstitute.org.au. 2020. Mental Health Ramifications Of COVID-19: The Australian Context. [online] Available at: [Accessed 28 July 2020]}

CEO of The Big Issue Steven Persson said accessing resources such as flu vaccinations can often be harder for vendors due to their personal circumstances.

“In these difficult times those experiencing homelessness and disadvantage are especially vulnerable, so being vaccinated against the flu to help with their overall wellbeing is even more important this year.

“This is the third year Bupa has offered free flu vaccinations for our vendors, and something we’re particularly thankful for during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mark, who has been selling The Big Issue magazine since 2014, said having the vaccination will give him peace of mind when he’s back on the street selling magazines again.

“It’s peace of mind for myself and peace of mind for the customers. It was great for Bupa to send down a nurse to do this, and it was easier for us to come here than to go to a local doctors.

While The Big Issue vendors aren’t currently selling magazines on the street, Mark said he was looking forward to getting back to work soon.

“I get to meet a lot of people that wouldn’t normally talk to me if I didn’t have the vest on. It’s an honest way to make a bit of pocket money.”

Emily Bellemore, Bupa’s head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, said Bupa has been looking at ways it can help more vulnerable communities and support vital organisations, such as The Big Issue, who are being hit hard by the pandemic.

“As one of Australia’s largest health and care companies, we want to use the unique skills and resources we have within our business to help provide essential services, like flu vaccinations, to those most in need.

“We’re really proud that we can support our nurses across Australia to provide Big Issue vendors with easy access to vaccination to help them stay well during the colder months ahead.”

Ms Bellemore said Bupa had also donated $10,000 to The Big Issue’s Hardship Fun which provides immediate and long-term support to vendors during this time.

Media reference number: 20/070

IDAHOBIT is a global day to stand up and support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community, who are more likely to face discrimination in and outside of the workplace.

A recent study of workplaces by the Diversity Council of Australia and RMIT University found that sadly only 32% of LGBTI+ employees shared their identity with their colleagues, and those who aren't open about who they are at work are less likely to be satisfied within their role. We want to create an environment that is supportive for our people to bring their whole selves to work.

Earlier this month Suzanne Dvorak, Managing Director BVAC became the Executive Sponsor of our Employee Pride Network.

"It's important everyone feels safe and supported to be themselves in the workplace. To do this, we need to actively create a culture that enables this to happen. I'm excited for the year ahead and to see the positive impact the Employee Pride Network will have."

 "I want to actively support this group of purposeful and driven individuals, who are working to create an inclusive environment for not only our people, but our customers and residents too."

This year some of our Pride Network shared what word resonated with them this IDAHOBIT through a visual representation of the rainbow. 

As part of Bupa's code, we are passionate about celebrating the diversity of Bupa, so that we operate in a way that supports everyone to bring their own identity to the workplace, and then when they are here, they feel that they belong.

The scholarship valued at $10,000 will contribute to covering the costs associated with completing Trenae’s Bachelor of Exercise Science and a Bachelor of Psychological Science degrees at Griffith University as well as her broader personal development goals.

The Dr. Evelyn Scott Scholarship is awarded annually by Bupa to honour the legacy of Dr. Scott, a resident of Bupa Mt Sheridan and a proud Indigenous leader who spent her life fighting for rights of all peoples.

Like Dr. Scott, Trenae was recognised as a strong advocate and supporter of her community. Along with working as an Indigenous Teacher Aide at Helensvale State High School, Trenae mentors Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students in the Gold Coast and Logan area through her involvement with AIME. As a mentor she visits local schools once a week to offer academic and social support to students.

Trenae said she will use the scholarship to help her cover the cost of university and support her ambition of volunteering overseas.

"I was in shock when I received the call from Bupa congratulating me. I burst into tears and called my parents straight away. This scholarship means so much to me and will open up a world of opportunities for my personal, educational and professional development."

“The scholarship will also allow me to regularly return to Cairns to visit my family without the stress of managing travel costs from the Gold Coast where I study,” said Trenae.

Trenae has also gained high-level industry experience through the completion of a summer internship at Bupa as part of its indigenous CareerTrackers program.

Bupa Cindy Shay, Bupa’s Director of Health Partnerships & Innovation congratulated Trenae on her outstanding achievements in the community and the workplace.

“Trenae is an outstanding individual who embodies the values of Dr. Scott and we were incredibly grateful to have her intern with us at Bupa.”

“We’re passionate about supporting future female leaders and providing education and employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s a privilege to be able to honour Dr Scott’s legacy by supporting talented students like Trenae.” said Ms Shay.

This is the second year Bupa has offered the scholarship, with Keisha Nash, a Monash Medical School student, the first recipient in 2019. In addition to supporting the costs associated with study, Keisha used her scholarship to complete a two-week placement at

Thursday Island hospital and has been invited back this year to continue her learning through the John Flynn Rural Placement Scholarship Scheme.

More information on the Dr Evelyn Scott Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Scholarship is available here.

The first scholarship is aimed at post-graduate students with a demonstrated interest in mental health who wish to commence a Master of Public Health, Master of Social Work, or Master of Clinical Psychology at the University. The second scholarship is available for high-achieving Indigenous students who wish to pursue a Bachelor of Arts.

Support for these scholarships mark the next phase of Bupa’s ongoing relationship with the University of Western Australia following its sponsorship of Perth Festival, which was established by the University of Western Australia in 1953.

General Manager of WA Partnerships at Bupa, Clinton Byrne said, “advancing mental health capabilities within the healthcare industry is a major priority for our company across Australia.”

“We are hopeful that the Bupa Mental Health scholarship will encourage a high-achieving individual to pursue a rewarding career in the industry and leave a legacy we can all benefit from,” said Mr Byrne.

One in five Australian’s experience mental health problems with suicide the leading cause of death of young people – accounting for one-third of deaths of Australians aged 15–24.

The Bupa Indigenous Scholarship for Arts will further bolster The University of Western Australia’s offerings to Indigenous students such as the ability to gain entry without an ATAR and a thriving Indigenous Studies department.

“As a leading health and care company in Australia, we are passionate about using our resources to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

“We understand the importance of advancing education and employment opportunities for Indigenous people and will continue to create career and education pathways within Bupa and through external scholarships such as this,” said Mr Byrne.

Tayyeb Shah, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Partnerships, University of Western Australia said, “we would like to thank Bupa for supporting these incredibly valuable scholarships in two priority areas for both the University of Western Australia and Bupa – these scholarships are currently available for any interested students.”

Applications for the two scholarships are open until Sunday 1 March 2020 with interested student encouraged to register via the links below:

Bupa Mental Health Scholarship

Bupa Indigenous Scholarship for Arts

In fact, of the top 10 days to get engaged in Australia, December, January and February occupy 7 of the most popular dates.[1]

However, what many newly engaged couples don’t think about are the financial elements of marriage such as health insurance, car insurance and even travel insurance for the honeymoon. Getting on top of these elements early can provide couples with big savings while helping them avoid costly expenses over the course of a marriage.

So, if you just made plans to tie the knot (or are about too…) now is the ideal time to ‘engage’ in some serious insurance admin.

Plan for when 2 become 3, 4, 5, …

While you and your partner may be covered by an existing policy, any children you may have along the way are not covered unless you move to a family policy. Once you upgrade to family cover, make sure you add any new members of the family to the policy as soon as you have them. Even a furry addition to the family can be covered under a separate pet insurance policy.

Put a ring on your car insurance policies 

If you and your partner both have cars, multi-car policies can potentially offer great savings and a lot less paperwork.

Don't get off to a rocky start on your honeymoon

While Medicare will cover your medical costs domestically, this is not the case in other countries where doctor and hospital bills can run into thousands. Travel insurance is relatively inexpensive, compared to the cost of a honeymoon and covers you for a variety of things that can go wrong such as overseas medical expenses, lost luggage and flight cancellations.

[1] https://www.easyweddings.com.au/business/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/07/Easy-Weddings-2019-Survey.pdf

In an Australian first, more than one and a half million Bupa customers* now have access to a suite of clinically proven Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) courses with a guaranteed 100 per cent rebate upon course completion through their Extras cover.

A new partnership with online mental health treatment provider THIS WAY UP (TWU) will allow Bupa members* to access online programs for common mental health difficulties like stress, worry, anxiety, and depression.

Bupa’s Managing Director of Health Insurance, Dr Dwayne Crombie, said “the initiative is a great example of thinking about alternative ways to deliver healthcare to meet the needs of members while achieving equally compelling clinical outcomes”.

“Research has demonstrated that internet based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) delivered via accredited programs such as THIS WAY UP is effective in treating anxiety and depression,” Dr Crombie said.

“We know that two commonly cited barriers to receiving mental health support are limited access and the associated costs. Thanks to Bupa’s partnership with THIS WAY UP we can now address both – courses are available online 24/7, with 100 per cent of costs covered for eligible Bupa members.”

On average, 80% of people who complete one of THIS WAY UP’s courses benefit substantially, with 50% no longer being troubled by anxiety or depression.¹

Almost half of all Australians aged 16-85 years will experience a mental health disorder at some time in their life.²

“Internet-based treatment allows consumers to undertake treatment at a place and time that is suitable and convenient to them; this may be outside of normal business hours, or undertaken over the weekend. We know that for our members located in regional and remote areas of Australia, access to online health services can be a key enabler to receiving such support.”

Developed by a team of leading St Vincent’s clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, these courses teach specific coping skills to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression and are designed to mimic a course of CBT treatment you'd typically receive when seeing a clinician face-to-face. All courses on offer have been proven to reduce symptoms through clinical trials conducted by the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD), with the results published in leading scientific journals.

THIS WAY UP is part of the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD), a joint facility of St Vincent's Hospital and the University of New South Wales established to reduce the impact of anxiety and depressive disorders on individuals.

THIS WAY UP’s Clinical Director, Dr Mike Millard, welcomed the partnership.

“The mission of THIS WAY UP has always been to ease the burden of mental illness through providing clinically-proven mental health interventions in a way that is accessible to more Australians.

“It is often difficult to seek and access mental health treatment. By enabling individuals to enrol in our courses anytime anywhere, without the need to obtain a referral or waiting in line for the next available slot, we encourage consumers to access the therapeutic tools they need sooner than they might be able to otherwise.

“By further removing the barrier of treatment cost, we are certain that THIS WAY UP’s partnership with BUPA will empower more individuals to take action towards regaining their mental health. We commend Bupa for taking such a leadership role in funding innovative care beyond hospital walls”

*A benefit can only be paid after completion of a Bupa recognised Online CBT course. On selected Domestic and International Extras and Package Covers, including Advantage OSHC Cover. Yearly limits, fund rules and waiting periods apply.

1. THIS WAY UP. Available from: thiswayup.org.au/about-us/research
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Mental health services in Australia. Available from: www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services

​Sally Damiani, Bupa’s Director of Customer Experience, said the initiative helps empower customers and improve transparency of health care costs.

“We know that our customer’s claiming experience with Bupa is a moment of truth, and often a driver for how they perceive the value and affordability of their cover,” Ms Damiani says.

“By educating our customers about why they didn’t have to pay anything, we’re helping them to understand how their cover works, reminding them about our network of providers so they’ll continue to have a positive experience, and reinforcing the value of their cover at the same time,” Ms Damiani said.

The Bupa Members First Extras Network helps members pay less for most services that are included in their Extras health cover such as most dental, optical, physio, chiro and podiatry. In return for Bupa paying providers a set fee, members receive higher benefits and have the certainty of knowing how much they’ll get back.

Ms Damiani said that the real time SMS functionality will roll out to all providers, not just Member First, in future stages.

“While it’s important to highlight why a customer has had a great experience, we also need to help them understand why they might not have got as much back on their claim as they expected, and how it can be avoided next time.

“The next stage we’re working on is focusing on customers who have had a gap experience at an extras provider, to acknowledge the fact that they’ve claimed and recommend their next best step.” Ms Damiani says.

Diabetes has been associated with an increased risk of vision and hearing loss. In Australia, diabetes is the biggest cause of preventable blindness. Recent studies have shown people living with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer hearing loss than those without the condition.

The more severe the diabetes, the more significant the risk of permanent hearing and vision loss. Because diabetes is a condition that affects blood vessels all through the body, persistently high blood sugar levels can impact the small blood vessels in the eyes and inner ear.

Bupa Optometrist Karen Makin says conditions like diabetic retinopathy (which affects up to 35% of Australians living with diabetes) often give no visual symptoms or can be undetected as changes to eye sight happen slowly over time.

“Symptoms often don’t emerge until the later stages of the condition when people suffer vision loss,” says Makin. “The good news is that in many cases, serious vision loss can be prevented with regular eye examinations and early treatment.”

Bupa Audiologist Vijay Marimuthu says changes to hearing can also be sudden and symptoms can creep up slowly over time.

“Hearing is something people neglect, but the impact of hearing loss is profound,” he says.“Undiagnosed hearing loss can affect your overall sense of wellbeing. It can lead to isolation, loss of confidence, break down in relationships and depression.”

“The earlier the hearing loss is detected, the more effective the treatment,” says Marimuthu.

Treatment may be as simple as wearing a hearing aid.

When you’re diagnosed with diabetes it’s important to have an eye test and a hearing test. After that it’s recommended you have a check up once a year or as recommended by your optometrist or audiologist.

As well as regular checks, the best way to protect your vision and hearing is to ensure your diabetes is well managed.

Find your nearest Bupa Optical and Hearing store.

Dr Cheryl Carcel, Clinical Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, said that while growing numbers of countries have introduced policies and practices which require the integration of sex and gender analyses in competitive research grants and/or publications in journals, few equivalent policies or practices exist here.

“While all Australian Government departments and agencies were required to align their business practices with guidelines on the recognition of sex and gender by 1 July 2016, we found that eight of Australia’s top ten research funding agencies and four of our top ten journals still did not have policies on the collection, analysis and reporting of sex- and gender-specific health data,” she said.

“Australian medical research has fallen behind North America and Europe in recognising sex and gender as a key determinant of health, and its importance for health research and improved health outcomes.”

“Failure to keep pace with the rest of the world will see Australia become increasingly less competitive when applying for funding from international bodies and reduce international partnership opportunities with overseas organisations,” Dr Carcel added.

Head of Public Health and Medical Director at Bupa Australia Dr Zoe Wainer said that across a broad-range of health areas, data have been collected from men and generalised to women, but a growing body of research shows that this approach was no longer appropriate.

“We know that differences exist between men and women for conditions that cause the greatest health burden in Australia and globally including cancer, cardiometabolic disease, mental illness and substance use, and dementia.”

“While Australian researchers are at the forefront of expanding the global knowledge base on sex and gender differences in health, we clearly need to do better in translating that into practice,” she said.

Amongst the paper’s authors are representatives of leading educational institutions, including UNSW, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of Queensland, Macquarie University and La Trobe University as well as the Australian Human Rights Commission and The National Heart Foundation.

Dr Wainer added that it was time for stakeholders across the board to ensure that health research and the medical profession that relies on it reflects current evidence to deliver the best health outcomes and most efficient care for Australians.

“We’re calling on universities and other training institutions, learned academies and professional societies, governments, medical and health research funders, peer-reviewed journals and industry to address this gap in medical research and ensure that Australian science continues to be world leading,” said Dr Wainer.

This study investigates how Australian-Government supported technology can support the coordination of highly-personalised care across primary, secondary, and hospital-level clinics as well as between public and private services.

This project will use new and emerging technologies as the vehicle to enhance self-assessment and highly personalised care for young people at the first point of contact with a mental health service to support person-centred and outcomes-focused care.

Importantly, researchers will partner with young people, their families and health professionals throughout the project, and will collaboratively use research findings to inform national policy and practice.

Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said: “Mental health is our great national challenge. Despite a significant investment in services, many people find it difficult to access the care they need.

The project was awarded funding in the recent Bupa Health Foundation competitive funding round focused on improving mental health models of care in Australia.

A/Professor Annette Schmiede, Bupa Health Foundation’s Executive Leader, said “Mental health is a key focus for the Bupa Health Foundation and investment in research and development at a systems level is needed to ensure best outcomes for patients and the health system are achieved.”

Professor Ian Hickie, Co-Director, Health and Policy at The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, said “This program of practical health-services research, at the regional scale, is just what the Australian health system needs. In an area that has been poorly-funded historically and under-researched, we will use an evidence-based and data-driven approach to provide genuine integration of personal care. The project uses new digital technologies combined with a continuous and streamlined circle of care."

“We are thrilled to have the University of Sydney and its linked headspace services working with St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Private Psychiatry Clinics and Sydney Local Health District Services to deliver this project. The backing of the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network for enabling technologies has also been critical. It is now possible to have people working collaboratively at the regional level and move beyond their individual service settings to really meet the needs of young people with major mental health problems”, Professor Hickie said.

Discover more about about the Bupa Health Foundation. Since 2005, the Foundation has invested more than $32 million in over 130 projects, focused on translating Australian research into real health and care improvements.

"A significant proportion also scored highly on the measures of loneliness, stress, anxiety and felt pressure to succeed in their future studies in another country; while one in three are not certain they could access social support in a time of need. These findings are concerning because we would expect these risks to manifest even more poorly after students arrive in Australia to study and without supports like friends and family," said Dr Tomyn. 

Australia boasts world-class universities and our status as a study-abroad destination of choice injects $32 billion into the economy each year. However, many international students studying in Australia experience poor mental health.

Earlier this year, the Victorian Coroners Prevention Unit handed down its findings into the suicide deaths of 27 international students, finding that international students were significantly less likely to seek help than their Australian peers.

In 2019, Bupa partnered with QS Enrolment Solutions to survey prospective international and overseas students about their pre-departure mental wellbeing.

“There are a number of challenges that international students must overcome, and nurturing mental wellness is foundational to seeing students succeed," said Chris Strods.

Bupa provides a wide array of health services to international students, including a 24/7 support line staffed by registered nurses, dedicated on-campus support and health services, and specialised Overseas Student Health Insurance.

“Mental health and wellbeing is a key focus area for Bupa. We partner with many leading educational institutions around Australia and we’ve been developing programs and initiatives to better support the needs of their students,” said Sarah Thorne, General Manager Educational Partnerships, Bupa.

“With this research, we’re now able to deepen our understanding of the issues impacting international students and tailor the support services we offer to international students to better support them while studying in Australia.”

Bupa’s report makes six recommendations to improve international students’ risk of experiencing poor mental health:

1. Build mental health awareness and reduce stigma to enhance help-seeking behaviour among international students.
2. A greater focus on early intervention as a means to reduce the prevalence and severity of mental illness.
3. Create more opportunities for international students to build social connections and support networks while studying in Australia
4. Undertake further research to address the limited published data concerning international students within the scientific literature.
5. Mental health first aid certification for university teaching staff.
6. Support students to sleep well, exercise often and have a healthy diet.

The full report - The 2019 Mental Wellbeing Survey of Prospective International and Overseas Students - can be downloaded below.

Discover more about Bupa's Overseas Students Health Cover.

Dr Young accepted the award at a ceremony in Melbourne.

“A career in research can be a difficult path to forge, even if you’re lucky to have a great mentor as I do in Professor Phil Morgan. When the finalists were announced I was beyond inspired by the company I found myself in. It’s an honour to be named the overall winner and I can’t wait to use this support to create better health outcomes for men’s health,” said Dr Young.

The Emerging Health Researcher Awards acknowledge the valuable contributions of health researchers to improve the health and wellbeing of our community, and to provide resources and support to aid their career development.

In addition to the prizes awarded to each finalist, a number of nominees were invited to attend a workshop on research impact.

Delivered by Dr Tamika Heiden of Research Impact Academy, the interactive session provided valuable tools to help researchers demonstrate the impact of their work to funding bodies and the community.

Emerging Health Researcher Award 2019 – awarded $20,000 to further the recipient’s research career

Dr Myles Young, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Education, University of Newcastle

Finalists – awarded $5,000 to further each recipient’s research career

Dr Myles Young, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Education, University of Newcastle

Dr Jie Bin Lew, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Cancer Research Division, Cancer Council NSW

Dr Gemma Sharp, NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow in the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University

Dr Saree Alnaghy, Research Associate, Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, The University of Wollongong

Dr Aideen McInerney-Leo, NHMRC Research Fellow, Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland

To learn more about each of the finalists read our announcement.

Commendations – awarded $1,000 to further each recipient’s research career

Dr Tatiana Soares da Costa, Research Fellow, Latrobe University - Developing new antibiotic products to overcome drug resistant bacteria

Dr Jane Davies, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research - Working to eliminate Hepatitis B virus in the Northern Territory.

Dr Lining (Arnold) Ju, Postdoctoral Fellow, Heart Research Institute, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney - Developing biotechnologies for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Dr Mark Deady, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Black Dog Institute, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW - Mental health of high-risk individuals and appropriate interventions.

Dr Kathryn Eastwood, Research Fellow, Critical Care Research, Monash University - Developing novel tools to reduce the burden on emergency health services.

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We all know that music can help people feel relaxed or energised, but can it really make a genuine difference to athletic performance?

According to the Melbourne Vixens netball team music plays a powerful role in the players’ mental preparation ahead of a game and during training, acting as a push factor against the feelings of anxiety and nervousness and boosting the team’s energy levels.

“Before our court sessions and in the gym, we have the music playing in the background, to get everyone in the mood to really work hard,” team captain Kate Moloney said.

Studies looking at the effect of music on athletic performance have indicated that those who listen to music during exercise often have enhanced output.

Boxers reported improved quality and intensity of training, martial artists performed better in karate drills and runners were found to have improved endurance on a treadmill.

Bupa's Psychological Health and Safety Specialist, Emily Meates, says the benefits of listening to music while exercising don't stop there.

“As well as performance improvement, research has indicated that listening to music in training or preparation for competition can influence our emotional state and physiological arousal," she said.

"It can encourage a more positive mood, act as both a stimulant to “psych ourselves up”, a sedative to “calm down” and, depending on the intensity of exercise, may also lower perception of effort - meaning we may find it more enjoyable.”

Kate Moloney says the team have carefully selected playlists with different songs for different purposes, with teammate Emily Mannix often taking the lead.

“Music is something that can bring people together. Quite often your music taste reflects your personality and it can be a real talking point between teammates.”

“We all have such different tastes, so it’s really nice to get to know each other a little bit better and find out what motivates everyone.”

You can access the Vixens’ favourite playlists on spotify here.

Continue reading:

Despite her myriad of achievements, Vixens Captain Kate Moloney says it’s the times she didn’t win or wasn’t picked for a team that ultimately shaped her success. She shares her story with Bupa Health Link here.

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This year, the five finalists showcase the diversity of Australian health and medical research, working on public health, medical engineering, laboratory science and clinical research spanning fields including genetics, cancer and mental health.

Bupa Health Foundation Executive Leader Annette Schmiede congratulated the finalists.

The 2019 Emerging Health Researcher Awards finalists are:

• Dr Aideen McInerney-Leo, a genetic counsellor and Research Fellow at the University of Queensland who is focused on improving the care and overall health of people who are undergoing genetic testing.

• Dr Saree Alnaghy - a Research Associate from the University of Wollongong who has developed a robotic device that mimics the movement of tumors to help reduce errors in radiation cancer treatments.

• Dr Gemma Sharp - a clinical psychologist and NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at Monash University who is developing online tools to help prevent serious health disorders associated with body image.

• Dr Jie Bin Lew - a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Cancer Council NSW who has developed a predictive modelling tool to evaluate the most effective ways to prevent bowel cancer in Australia.

• Dr Myles Young - a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Newcastle who is developing tailored interventions to improve the physical and mental health of men

Each finalist will receive $5,000 and support to help further their career. The award winner will be announced on 27^th August and will receive an additional $20,000.

Since this award began in 2012 the Foundation has invested $374,000 to support Australia’s emerging leaders in health research.

Dr Aideen McInerney-Leo, NHMRC Research Fellow, Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland

Nominated by: Professor Peter Soyer, Director, Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute

Dr McInerney-Leo is a clinical researcher and genetic counsellor. Her research program is highly transdisciplinary, involving collaborations in which she utilised genome sequencing to identify new genes, as well as research that identifies ethical issues, patient and family concerns and appropriate protocols to guide genetic testing in clinical practice.

To date, this research has:

• identified new genes for conditions which affect how the skeleton develops
• documented highly variable clinician practice with regard to genetic test ordering and interpretation, and
• tested human versus computer methods of consenting patients to genetic testing.

Aideen is now leading a research program addressing the translation of genetic testing for melanoma, a highly prevalent cancer in Australia, into clinical practice.

Dr Saree Alnaghy, Research Associate, Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, The University of Wollongong

Nominated by: Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld, Director of the Center for Medical Radiation Physics, The University of Wollongong

Dr Alnaghy is a researcher in the field of medical radiation physics, focusing on improving quality assurance in cancer treatments with radiation therapy.

Dr Alnaghy has been working on a world-first robotic measurement system that can perform quality-assurance for complex radiotherapy treatments.

This research has the potential to reduce radiation-related errors in the clinic by allowing clinicians to identify issues in patient safety and answer fundamental clinical questions.

Dr Gemma Sharp, NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow in the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University

Nominated by: Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Director, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre and Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Sharp is a psychological and biomedical researcher whose work focuses on physical appearance and body image concerns, and the serious disorders, such as eating disorders, which stem from them.

Dr Sharp is currently collaborating with The Butterfly Foundation and Instagram to create an online intervention tool for body image concerns. Using artificial intelligence to produce a chatbot, this research has the potential to assist millions of people around the world and address a major health issue affecting Australians.

Dr Jie Bin Lew, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Cancer Research Division, Cancer Council NSW

Nominated by: Dr Eleonora Feletto, Research Fellow, Cancer Council NSW

Looking at population-level impacts and implementation of national health initiatives, Dr Lew’s work is focused on improving the participation rates in life-saving preventative screening programs for bowel cancer.

Despite a 90% success rate with early intervention and treatment, bowel cancers remain the second highest cancer killer in Australia. Dr Lew’s predictive modelling platform has the potential to increase the efficacy of public health campaigns and save many lives.

Dr Myles Young, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Education, University of Newcastle

Nominated by: Professor Philip Morgan, School of Education University of Newcastle

For seven years, Dr Young has led a research program developing and evaluating innovative, targeted interventions to improve men’s physical and mental health.

Dr Young has developed a range of innovative behavioural weight loss programs designed specifically for men and delivered online, supporting men to lose weight without requiring face-to-face counselling. In partnership with major health organisations (e.g. Diabetes WA), these programs are now being adopted by men and workplaces across Australia.

For more on the Bupa Health Foundation and Emerging Health Researcher Awards: bupa.com.au/foundation

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“I am content with everything I have achieved in my career to date and I know it’s the right time for myself, my family and the club,” Roughead said.

“To play this great game for such a long time and to have experienced success like we have is something I’ll never take for granted. I want to thank everyone at the Hawthorn Football Club for supporting me through all the highs and lows. The bonds and friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime.”

Making a name for yourself as a star footballer is one thing, but making a genuine difference to the health and wellbeing of Australians is, arguably, an even greater achievement.

Roughy had the nation holding their breath after a skin cancer diagnosis in 2016. A melanoma which he had cut out of his lip the year prior had come back after treatment and the cancer had spread to his lungs.

He took part in a new immunotherapy treatment, a combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) and was declared cancer-free just months later to the relief and astonishment of many.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: Peter "Huddo" Hudson's words of wisdom for retiring Hawk Jarryd Roughead and reflections on life after football.

The experience prompted him to sign on as an ambassador of the ‘Helping our Health’ campaign to raise awareness of the value of clinical trials in Australia.

“Initially, I thought the clinical trial was a bit of a long shot, but it saved my life. We need more trials to improve drugs and treatments. I don’t think there should be any negative stigma surrounding it,” he told Hamish McLachlan.

“A lot of people think that it’s only available to the people that are sick, but in actual fact, it’s for anyone that’s open to being a participant and willing to try different trials that could benefit not only people that are sick, but people that are fully healthy.”

He also became an advocate for sun safety and skin cancer awareness, encouraging footy fans to cover up and undertake regular skin checks.

In honour of Jarryd Roughead and his stellar career, take a close look at your skin regularly, and always remember to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide.

When trying to work out if a mole could be cancerous, remember the ABCDE of skin checking:

A = Asymmetry: Look for spots that are uneven and lack symmetry.

B = Border: Look out for spots with a border that is spreading, notched, irregular or blurred.

C = Colour: Look out for spots made up of more than one colour e.g. brown, black, red, white or blue.

D = Diameter: Look out for spots that are larger than 6 millimetres, or are growing bigger.

E = Evolving: Look out for spots that are changing in shape, colour, elevation, firmness or another trait (such as itching, bleeding or crusting).None of these signs mean that the mole IS cancerous, however they are indications that you should promptly get the mole or spot checked by a health professional.

People who are at high risk of developing skin cancer (e.g. those who work outdoors or who have a family or personal history of skin cancer) should also have a skin check with a qualified health professional every 3-12 months, or as often as your doctor recommends.

Bupa is the official Health and Care Partner of the Hawthorn Football Club.

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The annual report found women aged 15-34 had the highest rates of diagnosed depression and anxiety in 2017 at 20.1 per cent, almost doubling the number of cases reported in 2009.

Men in the same age group also reported an increase, from 6.1 per cent to 11.2 per cent in the same period.

In the past decade mental health campaigns have successfully raised awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental illness. Professor Jane Burns says we need to shift focus to address the social factors behind the problem.

The HILDA survey is a national longitudinal study produced annually by the Melbourne Institute. It polls the same group of Australians over their lifetime on family structure, income and health.

With a career in suicide prevention and mental health advocacy spanning more than two decades, Professor Burns has watched the health system struggle to meet the growing demand reflected in the latest HILDA. Her focus has now turned to innovation and partnership in an effort to disrupt existing models of care.

“The evidence is shouting loud and clear. We need to direct our efforts towards emphasising social connection, meaningful participation, and reducing disparities in access to care.”

“At the same time, the goal is the provision of a high quality value based health care system that understands and meets the complex needs experienced by a person living with mental illness – poverty, isolation, self-stigma, relationship breakdown, and loss of employment," said Professor Burns. 

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According to the latest study from LiveLighter, a Cancer Council WA and Health Foundation WA partnership, less than half of Australians (44 per cent) get enough sleep most nights and one in three (28 per cent) only manage a good night’s sleep once a week.

But did you know poor quality sleep is also linked to increases in appetite, weight gain and chronic disease?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should have between 7 and 9 hours sleep a night, children and teens need even more.

Health psychologist at the Sleep Health Foundation, Dr Moira Junge, says sleep plays an important role in controlling our appetite and hormones.

“Mounting evidence suggests severe sleep deprivation can trigger an imbalance in people’s hunger hormones – causing a spike in hormone levels promoting hunger and a decline in those that make us feel fuller for longer,” she said.

“This may explain why we often feel hungry after a poor-quality sleep.”

Being tired impacts motivation, reducing the drive to get out and exercise and prepare healthy meals and increases the likelihood of reaching for easy, unhealthy snacks.

But Dr Junge says the health implications don’t stop there.

“Many people may be shocked to know that long term short sleep duration can increase our risk of health problems such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease by a startling 20 to 40 per cent,” Dr Junge said.

Bupa Health Foundation’s Dr Melina Georgousakis says obesity is one of the most serious health issues affecting Australians at the moment with two thirds of Australians now overweight (35.6 per cent) or obese (31.3 per cent).

“Of concern is that the prevalence of obesity, especially severe obesity (a body mass index of 35 or above), is increasing. In 2015 to '16 nearly 10 per cent of Australians were considered severely obese, almost doubling from 1995,” she said.

“Excess weight can increase a person’s risk of developing a number of diseases including stroke, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and 11 types of cancer.”

“While healthy diet and exercise are crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, many people don’t recognise that it is more than just energy intake and output that drives weight gain. This is something being championed by groups like the Obesity Collective, a modern obesity movement in Australia which the Bupa Health Foundation is a member of,” she said.

“For example, there are genetic, social, behavioural and environment factors which all contribute to an individual’s weight. When looking at tackling the obesity crisis there are a number of systemic changes needed to create environments which support people to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This includes improving the quality of our sleep, which increasing amounts of evidence is showing to be important to maintaining health weight.”

Tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

• Implement a no-tech-in-the-bedroom rule. Mobiles, tablets, TVs and computers emit a blue light which can affect the production of melatonin, keeping you awake. Find an old fashioned alarm clock if you need one to wake up and keep the technology away from the bedroom.
• Practice mindfulness before bedtime. Mindfulness is known to help people unwind, de-clutter their thoughts, and help manage anxiety and overthinking.
• Ditch caffeine after lunch – it might temporarily perk you up, but caffeine in the afternoon can make it harder to get to sleep.
• Avoid alcohol – alcohol might make you feel sleepy but it can interfere with a good night’s sleep, wake you up needing the toilet overnight and leave you feeling groggy in the morning.
• Quit smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant, like caffeine.
• Don’t have children. (Just joking. However, as a mum I can attest to the fact that sometimes, no matter how hard you try to get a good night’s sleep, the kids have other plans for you and there’s just nothing you can do about it.)

Fast facts from the LiveLighter sleep study

• Almost a third of Australians only get one good night's sleep a week (28%)
• Those aged 55 and over are more likely to get enough sleep most of the time, compared to younger age groups
• 52% of people get a good sleep less than half the time
• Only a third (33%) of Australians use an alarm
• Younger generations are more likely to need an alarm clock than older age groups
• 58% of the population wakes up naturally

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But is this a good thing for the health of the nation or is it all just a marketing con?

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery operated devices that are designed to mimic smoking by emitting an aerosol (or vapour). They typically contain propylene glycol or glycerol, and some contain nicotine.

Are e-cigarettes safer than tobacco smoking?

There is very little evidence that e-cigarettes are safer, or have any effectiveness in helping people quit tobacco.

Bupa Australia’s head of Public Health Dr Zoe Wainer says:

“People may believe e-cigarette use is safer and healthier due to the absence of tar produced in conventional cigarette smoking. However, there is evidence that chemicals, particulate matter and metals are found in e-cigarette liquids at levels that also have the potential to cause toxicity and negative health effects when inhaled as vapour.

"These can include increased risk of oral cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory problems. And we as a community must be mindful of the negative impact of normalising smoking.”

Australian health authorities are also concerned that the public perception of health benefits may re-normalise smoking and actually deter people from quitting smoking altogether for better health.

San Francisco recently became the first major city in America to ban the sale of e-cigarettes, going as far as extending the ban to prohibit online retailers from delivering e-cigarettes to San Francisco addresses.

That decision is particularly interesting as the city is home to Juul Labs, the most popular e-cigarette producer in the US.

Juul is now fighting the ban, reportedly forking out $1.5 million US to assist efforts to overturn the decision.

There has also been research that suggests daily e-cigarette use is independently associated with significantly higher odds of poor oral health and dental problems that require attention by a health professional.

E-cigarettes attracting non-smokers

There are also fears that e-cigarettes may even attract people who would otherwise avoid cigarettes, and could become the gateway drug for a new generation of tobacco smokers.

This concern was backed up by a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found young non-smokers who started smoking e-cigarettes were more likely to start cigarette smoking within two years.

The Cancer Council confirms that studies have found e-cigarette users were three times more likely than non-e-cigarette users to take up tobacco smoking. The Cancer Council has also expressed concerns over the products’ short and long-term health effects.

TGA issue e-cigarette warning

While e-cigarettes are generally used to simulate the act of cigarette smoking, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has not approved any e-cigarette products as a smoking cessation aid. Whereas TGA-approved cessation aids include patches, gum, lozenges, mouth spray and inhalators, which the TGA has found these products to be safe and can help increase a person’s chances of quitting smoking.

In fact, the TGA issued a warning in January about the potential risks of purchasing electronic cigarette liquid. This advice stemmed from a study which found undisclosed and potentially harmful ingredients in electronic cigarette liquid being sold in Australia, including nicotine and traces of other chemicals, in liquid that claimed to be 'nicotine-free’.

Tips for quitting smoking

We know that every cigarette is doing you damage, so it’s important that those who have decided to quit have the best chances of staying smoke free.

If you are thinking of quitting, talk to your GP about options available and suitable for you. This can include nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which can help by reducing your nicotine cravings to increase your chances of quitting. NRT is available on prescription or over-the-counter at pharmacies as nicotine gum, patches, tablets, lozenges or inhalers.

You can also talk to your pharmacist for more information about these products and how they could help you.

Depending on your Bupa extras cover, you may be able to claim a benefit for (NRT) on our Health Management extras service.

You can call QUITline on 13 7848 (13 QUIT) or find more support and information at the Quit Now website.

Bupa’s Health Link also has a range of great articles to help you quit smoking.

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Ryan Ebert, a trained physiotherapist and Business Manager for Bupa Therapy, explains how looking down at our phones all day leads to neck pain.

Standing up straight and looking forward, the weight of our head will equate to roughly 5kgs of pressure and bending your neck just 15 degrees doubles this. At a 60-degree tilt, the pressure can be as much as 27kg. That’s about the same as having an eight-year-old child sit on your neck.

Cardiovascular health can also be affected. Your lungs compress as your head tilts forward, changing the amount of air being inhaled and exhaled.

Ryan’s top tips for avoiding text neck

1. First of all, don’t text as much! Use your phone as it was originally intended and call people to talk to them whenever possible instead of texting.
2. If you do need to text, consider sitting down and putting your elbows on a desk, holding the phone in front of your face so you are looking straight ahead and not increasing the pressure on your neck by tilting your head forward.
3. Consider doing regular neck and shoulder exercises, especially if you are sitting down for an extended period of time.
4. Try neck extensions every couple of hours. Bend you head back and hold briefly, then bring your head forward to an upright position and repeat.
5. Every hour or so, stretch your chest by rolling your shoulders backwards and forwards in a circular movement, eight to ten times.
6. Consider your general posture. When walking or standing, keep a straight back with your shoulders square and back, keep your head level and have most of your weight on the balls of your feet.
7. If you do experience neck soreness, try taking a hot shower as a starting point, and then put a heat pack across your shoulders for roughly 20 minutes at a time.
8. If you continue to experience neck pain, see a healthcare professional.

Find out more about Bupa Therapy

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“Humans are by nature, social beings and we are wired to need to belong and be accepted by others, and in some ways, social media ‘likes’ reinforce this need,” Ms Nesci said.

“We all have an ideal version of ourselves which is more than likely who we usually promote on our social media platforms.

"This can sometimes create a false sense of perfection when perceiving the lives of others, and can make some people, especially young people, feel inadequate," she said.

The recent #StatusOfMind study published by the UK Royal Society for Public Health found Instagram to be the most detrimental social media platform for young people's mental health and interaction commonly linked to anxiety, depression and a fear of missing out.

A 2018 survey of teens in the United States by the Pew Research Centre found that 37 per cent felt pressured to only share digital content that had accumulated a lot of likes or comments.

“I hope that this move will mean people will focus less on ‘likes’ as a way of increasing self esteem and personal validation, and more so on sharing and enjoying experiences with their friends and family to establish and maintain relationships and genuine connection,” she said.

Australia, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Brazil and New Zealand are all involved in the new trial, which follows an initial test that was launched in Canada earlier this year.

Although Instagram described the hiding of the likes for users as a "test", no deadline was given for when it would end.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, has listened to research and responded accordingly with the director of policy for ANZ, Mia Garlick telling the BBC it made the change in an effort to improve users' wellbeing, and to create a safe space.

"We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love," she said.

The test would indicate whether users could "focus less on likes and more on telling their story".

So what exactly has changed?

The way accumulated likes are displayed has had a revamp. Instead of a post showing up "Liked by [name] and 9 others", you'll now just see "...and others", with no count.

The number of total likes will no longer be visible to you or your followers when scrolling through your feed. You can click on "others" to see the like count on your own photos, but your followers will not be able to see how many likes your post has received. Likewise, you will not be able to see how many likes other people’s posts have received.

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If you’ve ever passed through Melbourne’s Parliament Station you might recognise Mark.

He’s famous in that neck of the woods for his infectious smile and cheery disposition as he sells The Big Issue magazine to commuters.

“People call me ‘the happy man’ because I’m smiling all the time. People often say it’s good to see a smiling person so early in the morning,” he said.

Life’s pretty good for Mark these days but it’s taken hard work and a supportive community to get him to where he is.

“I wish I found The Big Issue 20 years earlier because it has just done so much for my confidence. I used to be embarrassed but I wear my uniform everywhere now. I’m proud to wear it,” he said.

Article continues after video. WATCH:

“I used to just lock myself away. I was in my own little world with nothing to look forward to, nothing to aim for in life. Now I get the first train into the city in the morning because I’m anxious to get to work and meet people.”

The Big Issue is a social enterprise that helps those who are marginalised in society to help themselves. Many have faced homelessness, others live with intellectual or physical disability.

Vendors buy the magazine for $4.50 and sell it for $9, making $4.50 out of every sale.

“But sometimes it’s not the sale that’s important,” Mark said. “If someone gives me a compliment it’s more than a sale, just to be noticed and recognised that I’m doing something worthwhile.”

Vendor Sales and Support Co-ordinator Alex McKay says winter can be a tough time for vendors and that staying well is critical for their livelihood.

“It is a huge issue when it gets colder because they’re out on the streets all day selling the magazine, and many of them are sleeping out too. It’s really important for them to stay healthy and warm so they can continue to do their job and make a living,” she says.

“For most of our vendors, if they caught the flu, that would be them out for two weeks or more. So, it’s really critical that we can try to prevent that the best we can.”

Every fortnight Melbourne-based vendors gather in the Bourke Street office for a meeting and to collect the latest edition of the magazine.

This week, Bupa Wellness nurse Helen Ryan was also there, delivering free flu vaccinations donated by Bupa. 

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“The flu virus is quite a nasty virus and it can just hit you out of the blue even if you’re young, fit and healthy,” she said.

“It’s really important for Big Issue vendors to be vaccinated every year, especially as they’re outside all day in the elements and interacting with members of the public,” she said.

Bupa has been donating surplus vaccinations to disadvantaged groups for a number of years including family and women’s shelters and soup kitchens.

Bupa Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Manager Kate Driessen says this is the second year the company has teamed up with The Big Issue, with five Bupa Wellness nurses delivering the service to vendors in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.

“I think the really wonderful thing about this program is that it’s so mobile, we’re able to go out to The Big Issue offices which is a space where we know the vendors feel comfortable and safe,” Kate said.

“It’s easily accessible for them so they can receive a quick vaccination when they pick up their magazines and head back out to work without disrupting their day.”

Vendor Garry Salt says he chooses to work a 12 hour day so he can maintain his apartment and look after his cat Squishy. Taking time out sick isn’t an option.

“Some mornings I’ve got to go out in three or four degrees and sell at Flagstaff station. People say, ‘I don’t know how you do it,’ but it’s just something I have to do to survive out here,” he said.

Mark says that without the gentle nudge, he wouldn’t have even thought about protecting himself against the flu.

“Getting the flu injection just wouldn’t have crossed my mind, but it makes me feel a lot better because people have actually died from the flu. I do feel protected now. It only took a few minutes and it’s given me peace of mind,” he said.

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We know from research that loneliness and isolation are risk factors for stroke and heart disease and may pose a bigger risk of premature death than smoking or obesity. According to a survey of 1600 Australians, more than half said they feel lonely at least once a week.

But Brisbane man Shaun Mahoney and his mother Carol are working to turn that around, arranging free weekly catch up groups all around Australia and New Zealand to help those over 55 make new friends and combat loneliness.

What started off as a bright idea by two passionate and tech-minded family members has now taken off. Since launching the Chirpy Plus website just a few months ago, 20 000 people over 55 have signed up wanting to meet people and build new connections.

“One of the most unmentioned epidemics that is facing us today is loneliness,” says Chirpy founder Shaun Mahoney.

“We decided that we really wanted to make a difference in the lives of over 55s. We put our heads together and did some research and it seemed like everyone was saying, ‘We need your help in creating a community for those who are struggling with loneliness.’ So that’s exactly what we did.”

There are currently more than 65 different catch up groups around Australia and New Zealand arranged by the Chirpy Plus network, but that’s growing by up to 10 new groups every week.

“We are on track to get 100 000 members by the end of the year,” Shaun said.

Bupa Mental Health and Wellbeing Innovator, Professor Jane Burns, has welcomed the initiative saying greater social connection has been shown to reduce a person’s risk of early death by 50 per cent.

“As humans we need to be connected and we like to feel valued, that’s why volunteering is good for your health. Meaning and purpose are important, but so too is having fun and the evidence is overwhelming that they are critical to a person’s mental and physical health,” she said.

“Research from Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad showed that loneliness can be associated with poorer cardiovascular health and as people get older, a faster rate of cognitive decline and dementia. This all may sound terribly depressing, but the good news is you can reduce this risk.

“Our goal should be to focus on the strengths of humanity through building strong communities and we should give people a reason to reach out and share something meaningful, suggest something fun, join a club or interest group or volunteer.”

After launching the online community, Shaun and Carol recognised another area of need – an easy way for people to let their loved ones know they’re OK.

So, they developed the “I’m OK” app for a monthly fee, which launched last week.

“I’m OK” is a program available which loads onto your phone from the website. By simply pressing a button, you can send an automated message to up to three people at a time to let them know you’re OK," Shaun said.

Shaun says ideally you would drop in for a visit or pick up the phone for a chat every day, but realistically that often doesn’t happen.

“In this day and age, people are so busy. And Yes, we would love people to have that personal connection every day, but when that’s not possible, this provides a sense of security and safety for people to know that their family and loved ones are alright,” he said.

“We’ve created a very, very simple app so that everyone can use it. You open it on your phone and just push the one button. You can also set a reminder to go off at the same every day or week.”

Initially it was designed for the Chirpy Plus community but Shaun says it can also be used by any one, like parents who want to ensure their children have safely arrived at their destination.

“It’s such an easy way for children, when they get home from school for example, to just immediately text their parents to let them know they’re OK.”

You can sign up to Chirpy Plus here, or download the I’m OK app here.

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Bupa’s Health Link website has been designed to cut through that noise, helping customers and members of the public navigate through the complex health system and providing them with information they can trust.

It's is the evolution of the much loved Blue Room, an online content hub which has had more than five million visits since it was launched in 2016.

Bupa recognised it’s potential to have an even greater impact if the content was more easily discoverable through search engines and better connected to the rest of Bupa’s offerings and services.

It’s now home to more than 1000 evidence based and fact checked articles, videos, and infographics centred around health and wellbeing.

Bupa Australia’s Chief Marketing and Customer officer Jane Power says the customer was front and centre when redesigning the site.

“We invested in a major research project in 2017 to find out what questions our customers are asking when it comes to their health and wellbeing and how can we help answer those questions. How can we use content to help people live longer, healther, happier lives? The site has been designed around these customer insights,” she said.

“Health Link will help further our understanding of our customers so we can deliver relevant content as part of our relentless pursuit of personalisation at scale.”

Bupa’s Head of Content Alex McDonald says Health Link will offer a significantly improved on-site experience for customers and members of the public.

“The Blue Room has been a hugely successful platform for Bupa, but we recognised the potential to take it to the next level. We’ve spent the last 2 years optimising every existing article and creating a new website structure so it can be easily understood by Google.

“We’ve added new articles, videos and tools where needed and migrated Bupa’s A-Z of health information over from bupa.com.au.

“This is an opportunity for us to become a publishing house in our own right, so we can build up internal capability to help us reach our customers in a way that’s very powerful.

“Nobody knows our customers better than we do and we have a whole team of internal experts who can provide health information and help people work out where to turn to for help.”

You can check out Health Link here.

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Tamsyn Elder, Bupa’s Head of Workplace Health Partnerships, said while the research was done in good fun, it also came with a serious warning about the need to get the flu vaccination.

“Plain and simple, flu kills. On average 3,500 Australians die from influenza and just under 20,000 are hospitalised every year,” Ms Elder said.

“In addition to the health benefits of the vaccine, the promise of a lollipop as a reward is something that is always well received by our patients. Last year we administered 46,255 flu vaccinations ourselves and handed out just over 40,000 lollipops.

“As we’ve gone around workplaces we’ve tracked which colour lollipop has been the most popular, and hands down red was the winner. Almost half of all people chose a red lollipop, green and orange didn’t even come close.”

Ms Elder added that the increased prominence of flu across Australia this year, including 63 deaths up until 5 May, has seen demand for vaccinations from workplaces.

“There has been a very significant and deadly start to flu season in many Australian states.

“Australian businesses have responded well. Companies who we provide corporate wellness programs to have had a real awareness on the need to be organised and have been actively requesting vaccines to be delivered to their workers. We’ve actually had to stagger some companies to manage the demand,” Ms Elder said.

Want to make sure your workplace is ready for Winter? Get in touch with Bupa Healthier Workplaces here.

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The economic analysis by PwC Australia was developed in collaboration with experts from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) and the Bupa Health Foundation, who collectively make up the Strong Foundation's collaboration.

“We used home ownership as a proxy to estimate the potential economic benefits of housing stability for children within their first thousand days because there wasn’t enough data on other examples of housing stability in our market, such as long-term leasing. Australia’s rental system is actually one of the worst in the world in terms of providing long term stability, so it needs to remain an important area of focus for policy makers to ensure housing stability is improved for all Australians,” said Zac Hatzantonis of PwC.

The report also focuses on antenatal care, outlining the potential economic benefits of reducing the prevalence of smoking amongst pregnant women, in addition to the healthy development of children.

For each woman who stops smoking during pregnancy, there is an estimated saving of $29,000 over her child’s lifetime. A reduction in obesity costs makes up half of this saving, along with 35 percent as a result of increased earnings and 15 percent for a reduced likelihood of smoking as an adult. The annual potential benefit of all pregnant mothers ceasing smoking is close to $1 billion.

“There is much that can be done to curb smoking in pregnancy. Education campaigns, price signals and working with mums through programs such as the sustained nurse home visiting program right@home.”

"Antenatal smoking is one of the few preventable factors associated with low birthweight and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.

“Quitting before conception or in the first trimester results in similar rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with non-smokers, and quitting at any time during pregnancy produces health benefits and as our research shows, this translates into economic benefits for the child and for our society more broadly.”

The report acknowledges the work government is currently doing to improve early childhood outcomes and presents four immediate steps to improve policies, programs and initiatives targeted at the first thousand days:

• Raising awareness of the impact the first thousand days on lifelong health, wellbeing, learning and development outcomes;
• Investing in environmental determinants of health and disease, to avoid the need for later expenditures addressing inequalities;
• Improving and targeting services to the earliest stages of childhood and conception, and on programs that target the most impactful interventions; and
• Undertaking further research to map current investments and gauge their success, and whether innovative ideas could work in future.

“The purpose of this report is not to advocate for a specific area for intervention, which is why our economic modelling does not consider the costs of interventions as part of a cost benefit analysis. The results of the economic analysis are important to guide potential funding for these programs, whatever they may be.”

The report is the second in a series examining the first thousand days. The first, released in September last year, outlined the nature and significance of development during pregnancy and infancy, the ways in which experiences during the first thousand days shape development, and the long-term consequences of these experiences for health, wellbeing, learning and development throughout the child’s life.

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They include looking at how much time children spend active and playing, how much quality sleep they get, and how much “sedentary screen time” they have – in other words time spent sitting down watching a screen, whether that be the TV, a tablet, or playing computer games.

There are conflicting views amongst health professionals about whether screen time is in fact harmful for children. But the new screen time guidelines are less about how much time children spend glued to a tablet, but more about how much time they’re spending inactive, instead of out exploring the world and learning through play.

“What we really need to do is bring back play for children," says Dr Juana Willumsen, WHO focal point for childhood obesity and physical activity.

"This is about making the shift from sedentary time to playtime, while protecting sleep."

“Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains,” says WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

How much screen time is OK for toddlers? The WHO recommends:

0 to 2 years old – no screen time recommended

2 to 4 years old – no more than 1 hour sedentary screen time

How much play and exercise do young children need? The WHO recommends:

0 to 2 years old – be physically active multiple times per day, particularly through interactive floor play. For babies unable to crawl, this includes 30 minutes tummy time, spread throughout the day. Babies shouldn’t be restrained for more than an hour at a time, including in a pram or high chair.

3 to 4 years old – spend at least 3 hours a day engaging in a range of different physical activities, with at least one of those hours spent doing moderate to vigorous physical activity. Not to be restrained for more than an hour at a time.

How much sleep do young children need? The WHO recommends:

0 to 3 months old – 14 to 17 hours of good quality sleep, including naps

4 to 11 months old – 12 to 16 hours of good quality sleep, including naps

1 to 2 years old – 11 to 14 hours of good quality sleep, including naps, with regular sleep and wake up times

3 to 4 years old – 10 to 13 hours of good quality sleep, which may include a nap, with regular sleep and wake up times.

Bupa’s Psychological Health and Safety Leader, Chanel Nesci has welcomed the clear guidelines.

“It can be overwhelming for parents to know whether they are doing the right thing by their children when it comes to their health and wellbeing, as well as juggle the demands of our daily lives. The new recommendations released by the WHO are clearly outlined and easy to follow and we should try to incorporate these into the everyday lives of our children," she says.

“We also need to remember that, as parents, if we are consciously trying to provide our kids with safe and secure environments which promote social interaction, physical activity, and a variety of fun learning opportunities, while leading by example as much as possible, we are doing a great job.”

Tips to limit screen time for young children:

• Create interactive play spaces in and out of the home. Outdoor ideas include a sandpit, water play stations (must be closely supervised) or balls to chase, indoor ideas include building blocks, play kitchens, drawing stations and balancing boards.
• Make regular technology free time part of your family’s schedule.
• Avoid letting your toddler see you staring at your screen, they are at an age where they love to mimic and learn from your actions.
• For older children watching television, choose one program for them to watch and make sure they know at the start that the screen is being switched off once it’s over. Stay strong and be consistent so that they know there’s no room for negotiation.
• Don’t be afraid to let children be bored. This is how they learn to be creative and to make their own fun.
• Set a “no phones at the table” rule for everyone at meal times.
• Avoid screen time in the hour before bed to help children sleep.

UP NEXT: New research into child development highlights how stress, nutrition, relationships, chemicals, and bacteria can play a role in a baby’s development, even before it’s born. 

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5 years on, not only is he walking, he's returned to doing the one thing he loves more than anything - performing.

He's thanked the team at Bupa Therapy and their co-ordinated care for helping with his extraordinary recovery.

He told his story to Seven News Melbourne reporter Nick McCallum.

Watch it here: 

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• Two thirds (67%) of Australian adults are either overweight or living with obesity
• There are 900,000 more people living with obesity today (not including those who are overweight), compared to just 3 years ago
• The number of peoplewith obesity has more than doubled in the past decade from 2.7 million to 5.8 million.

Researchers say if the current rate continues, 40% of Australian adults will be obese within the next 10 years.

Anna Peeters, Director of the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University, said the obesity epidemic isn't about individuals making the wrong choices, there is a far greater systemic issue which needs to be addressed.

She said the stigma and shame around obesity is unfair and harmful.

“It is not just a lifestyle choice or due to a lack of willpower as many people assume, we know that there are strong social, biological and environmental drivers of obesity that are outside of people’s control,” she said.

“There are major equity considerations here with Indigenous, non-metro and people living in lower socio-economic status communities being impacted more.”

The new figures are part of a report prepared by the Collective for Action on Obesity, a group which has been formed in response to Australia’s obesity epidemic. It includes more than 100 organisations, including Bupa, which have all joined forces to launch a campaign to fight obesity.

Annette Schmiede, a founding member of Collective for Action on Obesity and Executive Leader of the Bupa Health Foundation has called for drastic action saying the latest obesity statistics highlight a need for Australia to act fast.

“We are fast heading down the road the United States has travelled and they have discovered exactly how much it costs in terms of health and taxpayer dollars,” Ms Schmiede said.

The report indicated the financial burden of obesity in Australia is estimated to be $11.8 billion. Those figures consist of $5.4 billion in direct health costs and $6.4 billion in indirect costs.

John Dixon, GP and obesity researcher at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, said the statistics tell part of the story, but that things are even more dire than the raw figures suggest.

“Overweight and obesity is a driver for 22 diseases including diabetes, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, asthma, dementia and various cancers.”

“This problem puts enormous pressure on the health system. The risk of complications and mortality impacts in this class of obesity increases and the costs to people’s health and quality of life are immense.

Stephen Simpson, Executive Director of Obesity Australia and Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre said an extra 900,000 Australians living with obesity in just three years is a genuinely alarming statistic.

“The notion that 40 per cent of Australians will live with obesity in 10 years is shocking," he said.

The group is pleading with the government and other organisations to act fast.

"Obesity needs to be a national priority if we’re going to turn this around,” said Mr Simpson.

Find out more about the Obesity Collective.

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With 98% of reported cases coming from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, eradicating this entirely preventable disease could go a long way to closing the gap in health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The Bupa Health Foundation has pledged nearly half a million in funding to support END RHD communities, which will work with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities at high risk of the disease.

Dr Rosemary Wyber, general practitioner and Head of Strategy for END RHD, said central to the project is the leadership of Aboriginal Community Workers who live in communities with a high burden of RHD.

This strategy builds on the success of Take Heart, which saw Bupa work in partnership with RHD Australia, the National Heart Foundation and Moonshine Agency to provide a range of tools and resources to raise awareness and improve treatment compliance.

A recent evaluation of the program, conducted by Implementing & Evaluating to Maximise Impact (IEMI), found the success of Take Heart came from its focus on community partnership and self-management. The resources have been translated into more than 15 Indigenous languages and include an app which aims to increase compliance with preventative health measures.

The report recommends building on key strategies in the Take Heart program to improve health outreach to Indigenous communities.

RHD is caused by complications arising from infections with group A streptococcus bacteria. Repeated infections can result in damage to heart valves, which in turn can cause progressive disability, reduction in quality of life, and cause premature death in young adults.

Dr Dwayne Crombie, Managing Director of Bupa Health Insurance saw the importance of a community led approach to health care as a young public health doctor, working to end rheumatic fever among Maori and Pacific Islander communities in South Auckland.

The Australian government’s Closing the Gap Report 2019, released earlier this month, has shown both life expectancy and child mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to fall far below those for non-Indigenous Australians.

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Little baskets will be filled to the brim with Easter eggs collected at a crack-of-dawn hunt, children will be shovelling the sweet treats into their mouths and adults will be smiling to themselves knowing that it's the one time of the year that it would be almost rude not to indulge a little.

But with indulgence comes heightened responsibility - to look after your, and your children's teeth. 

The new dental report released by the AIHW revealed that young children were experiencing significant rates of tooth decay, the average child between 5 and 10 years old had between 1 and 2 baby teeth which were either decayed, missing or filled.

Bupa A&NZ Head Dentist Dr Kavita Lobo says many parents don’t realise just how important it is to look after a child’s baby teeth.

“As soon as a baby’s first tooth breaks through parents should be brushing them, or wiping them with a soft cloth, twice a day. Children need help with brushing until they’re about 8 years old,” Dr Lobo said.

“Cleaning routines for children’s teeth need to be in place well before a child’s adult teeth come through to set up good habits for life,” she said.

Perhaps most concerning was the 75 and over age group found to have on average 24 missing, decayed or filled teeth.

“Tooth loss can affect a person’s ability to chew and swallow easily, which can affect their nutrition, affecting their overall health and wellbeing. Poor oral health has also been associated with other chronic diseases like stroke and heart disease,” Dr Lobo said.

The new statistics were released for World Oral Health Day, celebrated on 20 March, the largest global awareness campaign spreading the message about how important it is to look after your teeth.

It’s recommended people visit their dentist for a check up every year but the report found less than half of Australians had visited their dentist in the 12 months prior to being surveyed, a quarter of them (25.9%) hadn’t seen a dentist for more than two years and one in 20 (5.5%) had never been to the dentist at all.

One in five children between two and 14 years old had never seen a dental professional and almost half of all adults aged over 85 hadn’t seen a dentist for more than two years.

The consequences of poor dental hygiene can be severe.

In 2016-17, there were more than 70 000 hospitalisations in Australia for dental conditions that may have been prevented with earlier treatment.

There are a range of different factors that contribute to poor oral health, including:

• Sugar consumption
• Drinking alcohol
• Poor brushing and flossing habits
• A lack of regular dental check ups
• A lack of fluoride in drinking water
• The cost of dental care
• Public dental care waiting periods.

The take home message? Look after your teeth.

Brush with toothpaste at least twice daily for two minutes or more at a time. Floss frequently and book regular check-ups with your dentist.

After all, according to the AIHW report 9 in 10 people (88%) indicated their dentist always showed them respect.

Find your nearest Bupa Dental clinic here.

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• Jerusha Mather has spent her life working towards her dream of becoming a medical doctor
• Despite having completed her Biomedical Sciences honours year and undertaking a PhD into brain stimulation, difficulty handwriting has made med school entry requirements like GAMSAT near impossible, “…there is an unrealistic expectation for me to be able to complete the GAMSAT in my head.”
• Ms Mather has urged universities and ACER to take immediate action against what she feels is discrimination against people with disability.

My name is Jerusha Mather. I am a prospective medical student with disability working hard on ways to enter medical school.

I was born in Sri-Lanka on 15th December 1994. At birth, the doctors gave my parents a diagnosis that I had mild-moderate severity cerebral palsy (CP) – chorea-athetoid. This meant that my chances of surviving and living a decent life would be a bare possibility.

With the hope of greater opportunities (especially for me) my parents immigrated to Australia when I was two years old.

The Australian medical system, being more advanced, enabled me to access rehabilitation therapy which helped to improve my speech and motor functions, as cerebral palsy affects my movement and speech to a moderate degree. I went on to successfully complete mainstream primary and high school.

During high school, apart from my growing love for neuroscience and biology, I was part of the T-ball team, raised funds for 40-hour famine and attained a place in the Kwong Lee Dow Scholar Young Achievers Program.

This seminar raised awareness and discussion on common feminine issues. I also carried out an initiative to send uniforms to an orphanage in India.

One of the highlights of my years was when I was able to procure sporting equipment for my school following a proposal to Fairtrade Australia. During my free time, I could be found reading and expanding my fervour for piano and singing. Presently I still enjoy playing the piano, singing, listening to music, occasional writing and have a good time travelling around the world with my family.

After high school, I completed my Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Sciences) at Victoria University and afterwards, completed my Biomedical Sciences honours year at RMIT University, whereby I conducted a systematic review on maternal biomarkers for fetal brain damage and designed a clinical trial based on the outcome of this review. I am currently undertaking a PhD at Victoria University where I am investigating how, and if, strength training and transcranial direct stimulation can improve motor outcomes for adults with spastic cerebral palsy.

My study will utilize a non-invasive brain stimulation methodology, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to deliver low and constant electrical current over the scalp, to increase the strength of signals sent from the brain to muscles prior to training sessions.

It is expected that this will lead to faster and larger strength gains following training. This, in turn, will enable us to better examine the impact of strength gains on function, which we expect will improve.

My study will also use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to understand the impact of both tDCS and strength training on brain activity in individuals with spastic hemiplegia CP.

This research is expected to influence interventions for young adults with spastic hemiplegia CP, who are currently underrepresented in CP research.

Despite the perceived challenges, I have lived a relatively normal life, applying myself to my studies and excelling at both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

I have a sense of empathy unmatched by my colleagues, understanding of life with a chronic health condition and remarkable patience. As a patient I have experienced the spectrum of health care professionals, good and bad, and feel motivated to be part of a generation of doctors where communication and compassion are paramount skills.

I have experienced significant barriers on my journey to becoming a doctor. And today, I am going to openly share them with you. I am are also going to share some insight on overcoming them.

Firstly, we must acknowledge the laws; the Disability Discrimination Act and the Equal Opportunity Act that were created to protect the civil rights of individuals with disabilities in the education and employment sector. However, we still have a long way to go to manifest these laws into our education systems.

Particularly in medical education, we see a lot of indirect discrimination occurring. Even so, it is time we showed zero tolerance to discrimination and seed the value students with disabilities can bring to the medical education.

Some of the barriers upon entry are the inflexible admission requirements and a lack of special consideration. Moreover, the barriers during medical school are inadequate support in preparation for clinical exams, inflexibility during clinical exams, and insufficient support during clinical placements.

Most students with a disability fear if they disclose their disability in their application, they will get discriminated against. In fact, students have openly shared stories of experiencing discrimination when expressing interest in studying medicine to medical schools. Medicine is a highly competitive degree. This high level of competition makes it harder for students with disabilities to compete with their able-bodied peers.

However, we must understand that disability does not equal inability. A person with a disability can still complete the task but in a different way.

As evidenced by the LIME network, most medical schools have alternative pathways for indigenous students and readily accept indigenous students without a GAMSAT score.

A similar initiative must be made available for prospective medical students with disability.

Currently, we have few medical students with a disability in Australia. A study completed by Western Sydney Medical School showed that less than 1 percent of medical students had a disability in their yearly cohort. We are among the lowest represented in the medical profession. This is not okay.

Also, if an alternative entry scheme or pathway was implemented, disadvantage could be considered.

Whilst external bodies such as ACER do provide adjustments, these are not enough for students with handwriting and reading disabilities.

For someone like myself, sitting the GAMSAT is brutally challenging.

The GAMSAT is not like typical university exams, they are not testing prior knowledge. It's testing problem solving ability and the nature of the test being written and timed causes great challenges for someone like myself to successfully complete it.

Furthermore, possible discrimination could occur in the admissions interview whereby one could easily judge me based on my disability and underestimate my ability.

The establishment of an alternative entry scheme or pathway would make it somewhat easier for the student to disclose their disability in a comfortable manner. This would also mean the medical school can prepare for the student’s journey ahead of time.

The incorporation of a structured interview method in the alternative entry scheme or pathway as opposed to the multiple mini interviews would greatly reduce the risk of bias and discrimination and ensure that reasonable adjustments such as additional time are made during the interview processes.

Some reasonable adjustments that medical schools could use to accommodate for medical students with a disability include:

• Additional time during exams (with rest breaks)
• Multiple-day testing
• Additional doctor - patient sessions to troubleshoot strategies for clinical skills
• Clinical assistant to help students with clinical tasks
• One on one time with academic staff
• Working with an occupational or speech therapist on developing clinical/communication strategies / skills

Some technologies and adaptable medical equipment that have been used in the past for medical students with a disability are:

• Dragon Medical – Speech to Text Software
• Vein Viewer – enables you to visualise someone’s veins in an enlarged form
• Electronic Medical Forms
• Amplified Stethoscopes
• Automatic Pressure Machines

Everyone is different and therefore, reasonable adjustments should be implemented on a case by case basis. More adjustments that a medical school could use can be found in The Guide to Assisting Students with Disabilities: Equal Access in Health Science and Professional Education by Lisa Meeks.

Medical schools also need to develop inclusion policies. Hence when a medical student with a disability gains admission, the school demonstrates the best tendency to provide an inclusive environment for the student.

There are quite a few doctors with a disability registered with the Australian medical board. They are working within major hospitals and clinics. However, most of them acquired their disability after entry into medical school. There are also plenty of training specialty colleges such as pathology, oncology, radiology, medical administration; general practice and rehab medicine that are willing to open their doors for doctors with disabilities. Thus, why then cannot medical schools open their doors?

Dr Thomas Strax who lives in New York has cerebral palsy. He had severe speech and mobility concerns. However, he became a rehabilitation psychiatrist and contributed greatly to medicine. He served six deans in three medical schools as a department chair, training hundreds of residents. Fourteen went on to become professors. He was a chief medical officer. For years, he was the consultant for our National Board of Medical Examiners. He was at the White House for the Americans with Disabilities Act signing. Nonetheless, he may not have been able to study medicine in Australia in 2019 due to the inflexible and biased admission requirements.

Lastly, let us open doors, think laterally about tasks, and see the possibilities inside a person. When we give someone with a disability a chance to become a doctor and support them, we all win because we are producing caring and compassionate doctors that I bet will make a great mark in medical history.

I hope you can join us in our journey to making medicine more inclusive for students with disabilities, please sign the petition for alternative pathways for prospective medical students with disability.

• A new local therapy service in West Melbourne is open to meet growing NDIS demand
• Dear Carers, you are not invisible
• Disability care - designed by those who use it

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The research carried out by the Staterns Serum Institut (SSI) in Denmark and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine involved 657 461 children born between 1999 and 2010. Of those children, 6517 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

The findings were clear – autism rates were no higher in the group who had received the MMR vaccine compared to those who hadn’t.

"Autism occurred just as frequently among the children who had been MMR-vaccinated as it did among the 31,619 children who had not been vaccinated," says SSI’s Senior Scientist Anders Hviid.

"We also focused on other risk parameters: children with old parents, children whose mothers experienced pregnancy-related complications, or children whose mothers smoked, children with low birth weight, as well as time-related associations between the time of MMR vaccination and development of autism. In none of the cases did we observe a higher risk of developing autism among the MMR-vaccinated children compared with the non-vaccinated children", says Hviid.

Researchers said the age at which the MMR vaccine is administered coincides with the age at which many children who develop autism begin first showing symptoms. This may explain why some parents of autistic children draw a link that the vaccine is what caused the autism to develop, despite there being no association.

The link between vaccines and autism was first made by Andrew Wakefield in a 1998 paper published in the Lancet. That paper was later formally retracted when it was found the author had falsified data and had a “fatal conflict of interest” when conducting the research.

It was also discovered that Wakefield’s research had been partially funded by lawyers who hoped to sue vaccine manufacturers on behalf of parents of children with autism.

But it was all too late. Vaccination rates had already started to plummet and still today, some so-called ‘anti-vaxers’ continue to believe that vaccinations cause autism.

While measles cases are now rare in Australia thanks to the vaccination program, there are current government measles alerts out in Victoria, QLD, NSW, and SA.

Since the MMR vaccine was introduced in Australia the number of children catching measles, mumps and rubella has fallen to very low levels, although some adults who were not immunised as children remain at risk of catching these illnesses. The introduction of the vaccine has also led to a drop in the number of babies born with serious disabilities caused by their mothers contracting rubella in the early stages of pregnancy.

The first dose of the MMR vaccine is likely to give 93 percent of those receiving it immunity against measles, 78 percent against mumps, and 97 percent of people immunity against rubella. After the second dose, about 99 percent of recipients will be protected against all measles and rubella, and 88 percent against mumps.

Annette Schmiede, Executive Leader of the Bupa Health Foundation (BHF) announced the two successful recipients of the grants. They are:

• Best care, first time – Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney

• Follow my journey - Central Queensland Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast PHN

​This is the first time BHF has provided funding of this nature under a new grants submission process.

"We believe that these projects show great potential in addressing this pressing healthcare matter for Australia," said Ms Schmiede.

“Mental health has been a focus for the BHF for some time. As a health insurer, Bupa has seen mental health claims growth far exceed all other areas of claims. When talking to the community and Bupa customers we hear consistently that they want community-based care.”

“We undertook considerable testing across the research community and the general community to identify the challenges. We then asked the research sector to respond, with high impact research that would translate into improved services.”

Following an overwhelming response from the research community, the two successful projects were selected for their collaborative approach to research aimed at improving the consumers experience and wellbeing through new models of care.

Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre responded to the BHF’s call with a youth-focused, technology driven proposal. Professor Ian Hickie from the Sydney Brain and Mind Centre said it was important to measure the tangible benefits technology provides in empowering young people to access the best care.

"We want to test whether better coordinated care with new technology saves lives and makes more productive lives by better coordinating the care," said Professor Hickie.

Taking a person-centred approach, the Central Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine Coast PHN use their funding to evaluate and improve on care delivery following the recent introduction of a stepped care model in their region.

Assoc. Professor Pattie Hudson, CEO of Central Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network, said little is known about how consumers move through various stages of mental health care, or the emotional toll moving between providers may take.

"The research project will use evidence to determine the patterns of service usage across the system, but it will also be heavily informed by the voices and experiences of those that use these services. As far as we know, this will be the first system-wide evaluation of the mental health system from a consumer perspective," said Assoc. Professor Hudson.

A recent Sunscreen Summit of leading research, public health, and advocacy bodies reviewed a wide body of research into skin cancer prevention, as well as the safety and efficacy of sunscreen use to develop the new recommendations.

Dr Zoe Wainer, Head of Public Health for Bupa welcomed the new policy.

Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of skin cancers in the world, and the numbers are rising despite the success of preventative campaigns.

Shannon Pinney moved to Australia from Connecticut in the United States six years ago, and immediately noticed the Australian sun was stronger.

People living in Australia and New Zealand are now advised to apply sunscreen on every day when the UV index is predicted to reach 3 or above.

Concerns about adverse reactions or vitamin D production were also considered by the Sunscreen Summit, which found that while a very small percentage of people may have a reaction there was consistent and compelling evidence that sunscreen is safe to use.

Exposure to extreme heat can cause rashes, cramping, dizziness or fainting, and heat exhaustion.

Signs of heat-related illness include appearing pale, excessive sweating, rapid heart rate, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting.

If someone is experiencing these symptoms move them to a cool place, remove excess clothing, and drink water. Consult a medical professional if symptoms persist.

Left untreated, heat exhaustion can develop into heatstroke, a serious medical emergency, where body temperature rises above 40.5 degrees Celsius and internal systems start shutting down.

Call 000 and request an ambulance as soon as someone shows signs of heatstroke.

Dr Tim Ross’ tips for preventing heat-related illness

Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, even when you don’t feel thirsty, to prevent dehydration. Avoid sugary drinks and alcohol, as well as very cold water which may shock your system and cause cramps.

Keep up your energy – Eat smaller meals more often. Cold meals and salads are best.

Stay cool – Stick to well-ventilated spaces where air can flow around you. Use a fan or air conditioning to lower the temperature, or put your feet in cold water to reduce body heat.

Plan ahead - restrict strenuous activity to the cooler parts of the day where possible and limit time in the sun.

Be sun smart - If you need to go outside cover exposed skin with lightweight clothing and wear a hat, use high SPF sunscreen, and stick to shaded areas where possible.

Read more health news

Each episode features a real-life story from a parent, with Kids Helpline counsellor Leo providing expert insight and advice.

Find Mumbles, and more resources for connecting families here. Or search Mumbles in your favourite podcast platform.

14^th Jan - Episode One: The impact of bullying

Bullying is awful, no matter what the circumstances. So, what happens when it goes so far that your child has to move schools? Renee shares her heartfelt story in our very first episode.

21^st Jan - Episode Two: Struggles with everyday anxiety

What’s it really like dealing with anxiety at a young age? Debbie shares how she responded to her daughter’s fears and helped her to move to a place of feeling more confident and in control.

29^th Jan - Episode Three: Social anxiety and withdrawal

Starting high school can be a stressful time, especially for young people struggling with anxiety. Rachel shares her story of how she has supported her daughter through social situations, and helped her build better coping strategies.

4^th Feb - Episode Four: Family life with ADHD

What’s it like to have multiple children with ADHD? Ruth shares how she supports her three boys, who all have various types of ADHD. It’s a wonderful story of understanding, adapting and growing together.

11^th Feb - Episode Five: Teens and social media

How do you support teens who have a history of trauma and an addiction to their smartphones? Carlie shares her deeply personal story that’s highly relatable in today’s tech-savvy world.

More information:

For information on the Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing program and to register your interest click here.

Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 – call 1800 55 1800 or visit kidshelpline.com.au.

Annette Schmiede, Bupa Health Foundation Executive Leader said the Emerging Health Researcher Award was created to provide financial assistance to early career researchers as well as recognise the important contribution they make to the health of Australians. This comes at a critical time in their research careers.

Dr Huynh has a keen interest in understanding how the immune system works and how cancer cells can evade detection by the immune response. She has discovered that a molecule produced in our bodies called IL-11 can drive the growth of tumours, by preventing the immune system from attacking and killing colorectal cancer cells.

Dr Huynh is currently actively working with clinicians, researchers and industry to develop and test drugs that can block IL-11 to deliver a new therapy for cancer patients.

With colorectal cancer being among the deadliest cancers, Dr Huynh’s work has the potential to have lasting impact on the survivorship of Australian’s suffering from colorectal cancer.

Dr Huynh was nominated by Professor Matthias Ernst, Scientific Director, ONJCRI who said Dr Huynh has got a bright research career ahead of her.

“It’s quite clear Jennifer is a fantastic scientist and I think she stands out as one of the people that will eventually go on to run her own independent research lab,” said Professor Ernst.

• In addition to Dr Huynh, three additional outstanding early career researcher were acknowledged as award finalists each receiving $5,000 to continue their research in the following areas: Reducing hospital readmission and death after heart failure

• Reducing obesity through nutrition guidelines and programs in childcare centres

• Using technology to improve the physical and mental health of Australian adolescents

Ms Schmiede said the finalists are all working in diverse areas focusing on improving better health outcomes for Australians.

“Our finalists are a diverse group- clinician researchers, biomedical researchers, public health researchers and health system researchers,” said Ms Schmiede.

“The diversity among the award finalists is a reminder of the depth and breadth of the research sector as well as the scope of the health challenges we must tackle.”

Previous Emerging Health Researcher Award winners:

2017 Dr Amanda McCullough, Bond University

2016 Associate Professor Gail Garvey, Menzies School of Health Research

2015 Dr Gabrielle McCallum, Menzies School of Health Research.

2014 Dr Greg Ebert, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

2013 Dr Andy Hsu, Peter McCallum Cancer Centre

2012 Dr Priya Sumithran, University of Melbourne

More information on the Bupa Health Foundation and Emerging Researcher Awards

The Bupa Health Foundation is one of Australia’s leading corporate foundations dedicated to health. We are committed to improving the health of the Australian community and ensuring the sustainability of affordable healthcare through collaborative partnerships.

The Bupa Health Foundation was established in 2005 and has invested more than $31million to support over 120 projects in real health and care improvements.

The Emerging Health Researcher Awards is celebrating its sixth anniversary after being established in 2012.

For more information please visit www.bupa.com.au/foundation.

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Advancing Australia's healthcare system

This is the seventh year of the award which aims to highlight the important contribution early career researchers make toward improving health and healthcare for Australians.

The finalists have been recognised for their research in the following areas:

• Reducing hospital readmission and death after heart failure

• Reducing obesity through nutrition guidelines and programs in childcare centres

• Using technology to improve the physical and mental health of Australian adolescents

• Identifying new therapies for colorectal cancer using the immune system

Annette Schmiede, Bupa Health Foundation Executive Leader, said the entrants for this year’s awards were quite diverse.

“The role of the Foundation is not only to support research through funding and partnerships, but also to develop the capabilities, skills and networks of researchers to improve the translation of their findings to have real impact on health and care,” said Ms Schmiede.

The Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Health Researcher Award recipient will be announced on 5 December 2018, at an evening event in Melbourne.

Bupa Health Foundation 2018 Emerging Health Researcher Award Finalists

Dr Katrina Champion, Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, NDARC, University of New South Wales

Nominator: Professor Maree Teesson, Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use.

Research Area: Using technology to improve the physical and mental health of Australian adolescents

Dr Katrina Champion is currently working to reduce the risk of chronic disease in high school students by helping them to modify key lifestyle risk behaviours.

She has been working with a range of professionals and young people across Australia to develop a digital intervention that uses computers, smart phones and interactive cartoons to educate young people about six key risk behaviours that are associated with chronic disease. The big six risk behaviours are identified as: alcohol use, smoking, inactivity, poor sleep, poor diet and excessive recreational screen time.

Dr Champion will lead a trial to evaluate the Health4Life program among 8,000 Year 7 students across Australia to show if the intervention can improve both physical and mental health during adolescence and reduce risky behaviours before they become entrenched.

Dr Jennifer Huynh, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI)

Nominator: Professor Matthias Ernst, Scientific Director, ONJCRI

Research Area: Identifying new therapies for colorectal cancer using the immune system.

Dr Huynh has a keen interest in understanding how the immune system works and how cancer cells can evade detection by the immune response. She has discovered that a molecule produced in our bodies called IL-11 can drive the growth of tumours, by preventing the immune system from attacking and killing colorectal cancer cells.

Dr Huynh is currently actively working with clinicians, researchers and industry to develop and test drugs that can block IL-11 to deliver a new therapy for cancer patients.

With colorectal cancer being among the deadliest cancers, Dr Huynh’s work has the potential to have lasting impact on the survivorship of Australian’s suffering from colorectal cancer.

Dr Quan Huynh, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Nominator: Professor Tom Marwick, Director, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Research Area: Reducing hospital readmission and death after heart failure

Dr Quan Huynh has developed a risk assessment tool to predict patients who are at greater risk of readmission and death following heart failure. With this information cardiologists can target the appropriate interventions to those at high risk. This will not only improve prognosis for patients but will also reduce health care costs.

Dr Huynh has validated the tool with an Australia-wide sample of heart failure patients and his findings on the interventions are already being adopted into clinical practice. The next step for his research is to improve efficiency by integrating mobile technology into the care of heart failure patients after hospital discharge. This model of care also has promising potential to help solve the barriers of those living in rural or remote areas.

Dr Serene Yoong, University of Newcastle

Nominator: Associate Professor Luke Wolfenden, MHMRC Career Development Fellow, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle

Research Area: Reducing obesity through nutrition guidelines and programs in childcare centres

Dr Yoong’s background as a behavioural scientist and experienced dietician has led to her research to help prevent obesity in children by implementing effective nutrition guidelines and programs in childcare centres.

Dietary habits are established in early childhood and can persist into adulthood, so by educating the childcare centres and giving them the right tools, knowledge, resources and support, Dr Yoong aims to reduce the burden of obesity. Dr Yoong is actively applying her research by engaging with end-users to deliver effective and scalable strategies targeting an important population group.

In addition to the four finalists, four outstanding nominees have been recognised with Commendation Awards and will receive a $1,000 prize.

• Dr Jing Jing Wang, Flinders University of South Australia

• Dr Natalie Bradford, Queensland University of Technology

• Dr Annmarie Hosie, University of Technology Sydney

• Dr Bridget Kelly, School of Health and Society and Early Start, University of Wollongong

Previous Emerging Health Researcher Award winners:

2017 Dr Amanda McCullough, Bond University

2016 Associate Professor Gail Garvey, Menzies School of Health Research

2015 Dr Gabrielle McCallum, Menzies School of Health Research.

2014 Dr Greg Ebert, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

2013 Dr Andy Hsu, Peter McCallum Cancer Centre

2012 Dr Priya Sumithran, University of Melbourne

More information on the Bupa Health Foundation and Emerging Researcher Awards

The Bupa Health Foundation is one of Australia’s leading corporate foundations dedicated to health. We are committed to improving the health of the Australian community and ensuring the sustainability of affordable healthcare through collaborative partnerships.

The Bupa Health Foundation was established in 2005 and has invested more than $30million to support over 120 projects in real health and care improvements.

The Emerging Health Researcher Awards is celebrating its sixth anniversary after being established in 2012.

For more information please visit www.bupa.com.au/foundation.

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Advancing Australia's healthcare system

The 8 millionth call came through via phone late on Monday afternoon last week.

Bupa proudly supports the invaluable work of Kids Helpline and its counsellors, who provide care and understanding to young Australians when they need it most.

“Since the launch of the service in 1991 a young person has attempted to contact Kids Helpline every 56 seconds and on average we manage to deal with around 800 calls or online requests for help every day,” said yourtown/Kids Helpline CEO Tracy Adams.

“We want to take a moment to recognise our dedicated counsellors and the teams behind the call centre, as well as the community, who fund more than three-quarters of our service by buying tickets in the yourtown Art Union prize draws,” said Ms Adams.

“While the 8 million figure is an important milestone for us, we know our work isn’t done. While we do our very best with the resources we have, more than 186,000 calls and requests for help have already gone unanswered this year alone.”

For 21-year-old Molly, the Kids Helpline service has been vital for her very survival, having called the counsellors numerous times when suffering serious mental health issues.

"There are times I know I wouldn’t have made it through to the next morning if I hadn’t been able to call Kids Helpline. The counsellors have helped me calm down and are able to get me thinking reasonably again. There’s no way I would be here today if it wasn’t for the service,” explains Molly.

Molly’s mother Sue agrees: “I will always be eternally grateful to Kids Helpline. Without them I doubt we would still have our beautiful daughter.”

The top five reasons young people contacted Kids Helpline in 2017 were: mental health issues, family relationships, emotional wellbeing, suicidal thoughts and dating/partner relationships.

Bupa partners with Kids Helpline to provide the Kids Helpline @ School (KAS) Wellbeing program. The free program is delivered in primary schools around Australia by professional Kids Helpline counsellors, connecting the counsellor to the classroom using video technology, and covers a range of topics including bullying, anxiety, building resilience and promoting help seeking behaviours.

Jane Power, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer at Bupa A&NZ is pleased that Bupa are supporting the @ School Wellbeing program.

“Most importantly, it connects children to the Kids helpline service, so that they know no matter the problem or where they are based, there is someone there to listen and guide them,” says Ms Power.

The partnership is well on its way to achieving its target of rolling its in-school education program to 10,000 children this year. Register for the free school program.

Read the Kids Helpline press release in full.

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Mental health. Wellbeing. Connection.

The Chair of Bupa’s Board, The Hon. Nicola Roxon, when in government led anti-tobacco policy that brought about this world leading success in reducing rates of smoking in Australia. With 12.4% of people smoking, it is among the lowest in the world.

Our recent Bupa Health Foundation thought leadership lunch brought together researchers, clinicians and health leaders to generate renewed interest and ideas on how to address this looming public health crisis.

“Some people have said #food is not #tobacco. When the tactics of those industries are similar... we can apply some of those lessons to food,” Alexandra Jones @georgeinstitute #BHFobesity in context of how we approach unhealthy food and policy reform.

— Bupa Australia (@BupaAustralia) October 26, 2018

The message from the day was clear - we must rethink obesity. Obesity is about more than personal responsibility. If we were being honest, there is a belief that obesity is just a matter of self control - eating less and exercising more. We learnt that it is much more complex than that.

Our keynote speaker, The University of Sydney’s Professor Stephen Simpson reminded us that obesity is a chronic relapsing disease process that has complex drivers and as such there is “no single solution”.

It is now well understood that obesity is a complex condition with genetic, biologic and societal roots. We explored these issues through a panel discussion expertly facilitated by ABC journalist Ellen Fanning, who brought together the diverse perspectives on how to address obesity.

The panel included clinician Dr Kathryn Williams and health policy researcher Ali Jones, as well as playwright Alana Valentine, who was a writer in residence at Sydney University’s Charles Perkins Centre, a multidisciplinary research institute with a focus on obesity and improving global health.

Alana read a monologue from her new play Made to Measure which demonstrated the stigma associated with obesity and how as a society we need to change how we speak with those who are living in a bigger body.

Alana’s play is the result of a year spent alongside researchers and clinicians who are looking for new solutions to ease the burden of obesity. It is a great example of how communication of complex scientific topics can be improved by bringing different disciplines together.

Many guests left the event with a new perspective on this major health challenge and a renewed energy to achieve the goal set out in the Australia 2030: Prosperity through Innovation plan released by Innovation Science Australia to be the healthiest country on the planet. This will take a big effort as a recent CSIRO Report found that 63% of Australia’s adults are overweight or obese. If current trends continue it is expected that 83% of men and 75% of women over 20 will be overweight by 2025.

“We had stigmatised behaviours around #HIV & we wouldn’t shame someone with HIV who sought appropriate treatment. Similarly, we need to remove as much shame as we can for those seeking treatment for #obesity,” Alexandra Jones @georgeinstitute #BHFobesity

— Bupa Australia (@BupaAustralia) October 26, 2018

The Bupa Health Foundation has been a long-time supporter of Obesity Australia and a partner in their recent initiative the Obesity Collective whose vision is to transform the way society speaks, thinks and acts on obesity to reduce its impact on us all.

As part of this partnerships we have also committed to funding the Obesity Evidence Hub a comprehensive, easy to use website that will identify, analyse and synthesise the growing science on obesity, obesity prevalence and provide an important platform for policy issues.

Bupa Health Insurance is also currently investigating how it can better support customers to achieve their personal goals around a “healthy” weight.

As a leading provider of health and care in Australia and New Zealand, we understand that tackling obesity cannot be prevented by individual action and needs a whole of community approach.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics is increasing the problem of antibiotic resistance and we are all part of the problem and the solution.

Last year, we saw chief medical officers of some of the world's biggest employers urge people to change their attitude towards antibiotics as common treatments become less effective.

Members of the Global Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) Network signed a pledge on antimicrobial resistance that urges companies to support the appropriate use of antibiotics, as resistance is on the rise. The CMO Network is a group of some of the world’s largest employers, powered by Bupa.

This year, Bupa announced Bupa Aged Care and the Bupa Health Foundation are supporting an Australian first trial into deadly superbugs in nursing homes that will see a team of researchers monitor the use of antibiotics.

The program will be piloted in two of Bupa’s care homes to help identify proper treatment of infections and the overprescribing of antibiotics.

Australia has been reported to have one of the highest antibiotic prescription rates in the world with around 30 million antibiotics prescribed annually.

There are growing fears globally about strains of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotic drugs. Due to the nature of illness and vulnerability of elderly residents, it is of particular concern in aged care homes.

To help identify the source and spread of the superbug bacteria, researchers from Mon­ash University and Alfred Health will use ­cutting-edge genomic technology as part of the $2.3m program.

Dr Tim Ross, Director of Medical Services, Bupa Villages and Aged Care said programs like this are important to help reduce the rate of antibiotic over prescription.

“Our residents often have multiple medical problems and can be on many medications. Rationalising the use of these medications is one of the key aims when a resident enters one of our homes to reduce the chance of antibiotic resistant bugs developing,” he said.

The problem of antibiotic resistance belongs to everyone and it’s everybody’s responsibility to take antibiotic resistance seriously.

Think twice before taking antibiotics:

Ask the question – do I really need antibiotics?

• Don’t demand antibiotics if your health worker says you don’t need them.
• Always follow your qualified health professional’s advice when using antibiotics.
• Don’t share or reuse antibiotics - Only take antibiotics prescribed for you, by your doctor for that illness – each bacterial infection is different and will respond to different types of antibiotics. This means taking antibiotics designed for a urinary tract infection, for your cough won’t work, and will only increase antibiotic resistance.
• Be patient. Not all infections are bacterial, and even when they are caused by bacteria this doesn’t mean your body won’t be able to fight it off. More often than not you need time, rest and fluids, not antibiotics.

Prevent the spread of infections:

• Prepare food hygienically
• Avoiding close contact with sick people
• Wash your hand regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing - Regular hand washing (using soap and running water) keeps your hands clean and can help stop the spread of all infectious bugs, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 and is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

‘The Family and Diabetes’ is the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day.

Everyone can play a role in the prevention of diabetes by role modeling healthy habits to children and supporting and encouraging our partners, parents and siblings to live a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Dwayne Crombie, Managing Director Health Insurance has been living with type 2 diabetes for the past eight years.

Dwayne explains that having diabetes he and his family have changed some simple habits including the food they eat and buy.

“‘We often go to a market on a weekend to buy fresh vegetables,” said Dr Crombie.

To discover which food he had a bad reaction to, Dwayne also wore a glucose monitor.

“Having instant feedback is powerful and makes you more likely to change behaviour.

“I can’t eat normal white rice and white bread but luckily I don’t react as badly to ice cream! Sue (my wife) and I have seen a dramatic reduction of starchy things in our diet,” says Dr Crombie.

Exercise makes a huge difference to Dwayne’s blood glucose levels for the 24 hours after intense exercise.

Supporting loved ones

If you have a family member or loved one with diabetes you can play an important role in the management of their condition. Here are some ways you may be able to support them.

Understand what diabetes is.

Be supportive and get involved in helping them manage it e.g. offer to attend health appointments with them and learn about any medications they take.

Prepare and eat healthy meals together and avoid having foods/drinks around them that they are trying to minimise e.g. take away or sugary drinks.

Exercise together and encourage and support them to incorporate regular exercise into their week e.g. offer to cook dinner or do other chores to help free up some time in their day for exercise.

Cindy Shay, Director of Health Partnerships, has been living with type 1 diabetes for 12 years. Cindy shares that having type 1 diabetes has changed her routine by monitoring it everyday.

“Having become a type 1 diabetic as an adult the familial relationships are different. One thing that became apparent is that as treatment and understanding of type 1 diabetes has evolved, the community’s expectations have not.

"The discussion is about sugar rather than carbohydrates that convert to sugars. As the only diabetic in my family we have focussed on practical matters e.g. each house of my immediate family members has sharps containers, spare insulin and change sets for my insulin pump,” said Ms Shay.

When asked about the role that her family play in the management, care and prevention of diabetes, Cindy said, “As an adult with type 1 diabetes their role is really a watching brief. Prevention doesn’t play a role with type 1. The big education role is the difference between type 1 and type 2,”

Having type 1 diabetes hasn’t restricted Cindy in living her best life. She has travelled to every continent, including Antarctica!

“It just takes some planning – I had to work out at what temperature does insulin freeze and a battery stop working!”

Did you know?

Around 1.7 million Australians have diabetes. That’s well over 6 percent of the total population. This includes all types of diagnosed diabetes (1.2 million known and registered) as well as silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (up to 500,000 estimated).

More than 6 percent of the total population has diabetes in New Zealand too. It is estimated that the number of New Zealanders diagnosed with diabetes exceeds 200,000 people (predominantly type 2 diabetes). There are also about 100,000 people who have diabetes but have not yet had it diagnosed.

For every person diagnosed with diabetes there is usually a family member or carer who also ‘lives with diabetes’ every day in a support role. This means that an estimated 2.4 million Australians and 400,000 New Zealanders are affected by diabetes every day.

UP NEXT:

Find out more here.

Why you need to care about antibiotic use and resistance

Awareness of antibiotic resistance is important to encourage best practices amongst the general public, health workers and policy makers.

If you’ve ever had a bacterial infection, you’re probably familiar with antibiotics, which are medicines that kill bacteria. They’re essential for successfully treating and preventing serious infectious diseases. Over the past century, access to effective antibiotics has saved millions of lives, and enabled major medical and surgical breakthroughs. However, during this time, we have also misused and overused antibiotics and this has resulted in antibiotic resistance.

The number of infections where bacteria are resistant to at least one antibiotic has been increasing and that includes within Australia. We've seen the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to almost all of the easily available antibiotics, for example, MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus), multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). These can cause serious, life-threatening illness and are difficult to treat. As our antibiotics become less and less effective, infections become harder to treat.

Without action, we could return to the days of not being able to treat common or life-threatening infections, resulting in prolonged illness, disability and death. It could also impact many of the medical advancements we take for granted, like organ transplants, cancer treatment, diabetes management and major surgeries.

What is antibiotic resistance?

Resistance develops when potentially harmful bacteria change in a way that makes them immune to antibiotics. Resistant bacteria survive, multiply and spread, causing more harm.

How does antibiotic resistance happen?

Drug resistance is a natural evolution. When people take antibiotics for a bacterial infection, the antibiotic kills off the “weaker” organisms. However, there may be some organisms that are resistant to the antibiotic, so they aren’t killed off. This allows them to multiply and spread, meaning that the next generation of the bacterial infection will no longer respond to (or be killed off by) that antibiotic.

Why is antibiotic resistance a problem?

Antibiotic resistance is a problem because standard treatments become ineffective. An antibiotic that used to work on certain infections no longer does. People are unable to recover from infections and may then spread those infections to others.

In Australia, the prevalence of resistant- and multi-drug resistant bacteria (also known as ‘superbugs’) is increasing.

My personal worry is we don’t want to get any closer to creating a superbug that would be capable of beating every antibiotic we have.

What can you do to reduce antibiotic resistance?

1. Only take antibiotics in the way they have been prescribed to you

2. Don’t ask for antibiotics to treat viral infections like colds and the flu. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, and won’t speed up your recovery from viral infections

3. Clean your hands often! It is possible to pass on antibiotic resistant bacteria to others, so prevent the spread of germs by practicing good hygiene

Blog written by Nirasha Parsotam, Pharmacist and Bupa’s Head of Healthcare System Strategy and Integration.

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Lead researcher Professor Gregoire Courtine, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, said the targeted electrical stimulation technique works by reconnecting communication pathways between the legs and the brain (which have been damaged by a spinal injury).

How does it work?

The researchers implanted an array of electrodes over patients’ spinal cords, and this allowed for the targeting of individual muscle groups in the patients’ legs.

Specific configurations of electrodes were activated to control the muscles, mimicking the signals that the brain would deliver to produce walking.

Electric stimulation was delivered by a pulse generator, timed to coordinate with intended movement.

Watch the video about the research.

What other research is underway?

Bupa, which runs a therapy centre in West Melbourne, strongly supports ongoing medical research into spinal injuries.

Spinal Cord Injury Australia says that:

• There are nearly 20,000 people in Australian living with a spinal cord injury, and

• 133 days is the average length of stay in hospital for a newly injured spinal cord injury patient.

Earlier in the year, Bupa Therapy celebrated its new walking machine (known as the GEO-System™). This is the first time the cutting-edge robotic gait technology has become available in Australia.

The robotics is designed to help muscles regain strength and for the nervous system to relearn motor skills and develop new neural pathways in the brain.

Read more on the GEO-System and its positive results with our clients.

Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling. The injury usually occurs as a result of a trauma (such as a car accident or fall), medical condition (such as spina bifida or stroke), or as a result of other back and spine conditions.

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Find out more about Bupa Therapy.

There were 25 finalists celebrated on the night who were nominated under the categories Family, Pet, Lifestyle, Personal and Wellbeing, along with a People’s Choice winner and an Overall Winner.

The night’s top award went to Rebecca Gawthorne for her blog, Nourish Naturally.

Rebecca was awarded Overall Winner and won the Wellbeing category award.

Rebecca’s blog takes her clinical experience as a dietitian and nutritionist and helps to promote a realistic and achievable approach to healthy eating and nourishing your body naturally.

Rebecca was extremely honoured to be recognised for this year's Bupa Blog Awards .

“I was so excited for the Bupa Blog Awards. It was such a nice surprise to be a finalist and I definitely wasn’t expecting to win.

A record number of more than 16,000 people voted for their favourite blog across all categories for the People’s Choice Award.

Calley Gibson of Life of Pikelet took out the People’s Choice Award and Pet category for the amazing work as Australia's premier Rescue Ambassadog.

Life of Pikelet challenges the stigmas associated with rescue dogs and has rehomed over 50 foster siblings and assisted with the rehoming of hundreds more.

Calley said that winning two awards tonight was a massive surprise and she is looking forward to working with Bupa and other bloggers next year.

"I was expecting to come away with two sore feet - not two awards!

“I’m very excited to be able to become a part of such a great community and gain further support, knowledge and networking. It'll be great to experience this with people that understand and know what I’m doing," she said.

Angie Maddison from The Little Mumma took out the top prize for the Families category for her blog.

Angie is a mum of three and writes beautifully and candidly of her family’s experiences in a relatable, warm and authentic way.

The Lifestyle category winner was Jemma Mrdak for her blog A Stylish Moment for women on a path of confidence, creativity and ultimate style. It's a go-to for all things wellness and lifestyle for women.

Personal category winner for this year is Annie Love from Mumma Love.

She’s a mum to three boys, and navigates parenthood with Leukaemia, Down syndrome and grief through her blog. The beautifully candid blog is all about family, grief, rollercoasters and all the love stories woven in between.

Congratulations to all the 2018 Bupa Blog Award finalists and winners!

Jenny Yuen, Bupa Marketing Content Planner and judge, said it was tough competition and hard to judge and select winners for each category this year.

"It was incredibly difficult to judge and select this year's winners but we loved everything from their amazing writing to their unique perspectives on what it means to live healthier, happier lives.

"All our winners do incredible things for their online communities, and we're so pleased to be able to recognise and celebrate them," she said.

This year was the fifth year of the Bupa Blog Awards, recognising people outside of Bupa who have a strong influence on their community’s health and wellness.

This talented group of award winners will be invited to join Bupa’s exclusive influencer program, with free webinars, workshops and insights from those who have successfully navigated the blogger and influencer space.

They’ll also receive opportunities to work with Bupa on marketing campaigns throughout the year.

To help grow their influencer platform to improve the health and happiness of their online community, winners from each category have been awarded $1,000.

Our People’s Choice winner, Life of Pikelet, takes away $2,000 and $3,000 goes to our overall winner Rebecca Gawthorne for her blog Nourish Naturally.

Find out more about the awards and all our fantastic Bupa Blog Award finalists on the Blue Room.

#BupaBlogAwards

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