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Healthy Queensland - Preventable diseases

2020 Target: Cut obesity, smoking, heavy drinking and unsafe sun exposure by one third

Measure: proportion of Queenslanders who are overweight/obese, high risk/risky drinkers, daily smokers and get sunburnt (sources: Australian Social Trends, ABS and National Sun Protection Survey, Cancer Council of Australia).

Lead agency: Queensland Health.

Current health statistics

About 87% of all health problems, disabilities and early deaths in Queensland are due to preventable chronic diseases.

More than a third of this disease burden results from a range of risk factors, including being overweight, smoking and drinking too much alcohol and getting sunburnt.

Latest data available for Queensland men and women shows:

60.3% of men and 41.3% of women are overweight or obese.
18.9% of men and 15.4% of women smoke daily.
11.5% of men and 12.1% of women are heavy drinkers.
15% of adult Queenslanders were sunburnt on the weekend during the summer of 2006-07.

Achievements since September 2007

Committed to the toughest anti-smoking laws in Australia which will ban smoking in cars carrying children and grant councils power to regulate smoking in malls and at bus stops.
Opened a new cycle centre in Brisbane's King George Square, in partnership with the Brisbane City Council, to enable more Brisbane residents to combine exercise with their trip to work.

Challenges

Childhood obesity: overall, in 2006, 21% of Queensland children aged 5 to 17 years were overweight or obese, including 20% of boys and 23% of girls.

Achieving the target

The Queensland Government has taken the first steps towards making us Australia's healthiest people.

This commitment includes:

Healthier kids: releasing a discussion paper proposing the regulation of junk food advertising during children's television shows. Almost 3 out of 4 food advertisements during children's programs are for junk food and drinks: a 7% increase on the previous 12 months.

Healthy Communities Awards: launching a new state-wide competition that rewards towns, schools and workplaces for healthy living initiatives. Prize money will go towards creating community infrastructure and programs that promote improved health and well-being.

We will add to these commitments by rolling out new programs in the community and the workplace to encourage and support people to live healthier lives.

We need the Australian Government to support our efforts by reforming medical benefits to boost chronic disease prevention and management.

We need the community to play a role by eating healthier food, exercising more, drinking responsibly and being sun smart.

Tomorrow's Queensland