Cancer Council Queensland has launched its first population-wide health survey to help Queensland create a cancer free future, as spokesperson Katie Clift explains.
Cancer Council Queensland has launched a Queensland-first survey in a quest to help all Queenslanders live healthier and happier lives.
The Everyday Health Survey seeks to evaluate individual diet and lifestyle habits in order to improve community health and wellbeing, focussing on factors such as nutrition, food marketing, and consumer psychology and behaviour.
Importantly, it will inform the development of targeted strategies so that we can better assist Queenslanders with living healthier, happier, and cancer free lives.
We’re inviting Queenslanders to put their health to the test by taking the survey – tell us what you think about health guidelines, consumer behaviour, and junk food marketing to children.
The study will give us a snapshot of how Queenslanders access information about healthy eating and what changes they would like to see in the community to help improve diet and lifestyle habits.
Understanding the biggest barriers to healthy eating are crucial to help us take action and improve outcomes, reducing the risks of cancer and other chronic diseases.
Around 65 per cent of Queensland adults are overweight or obese – with current trends showing that around three million Queenslanders will be overweight or obese by 2020. We can all take simple steps to help change this trend.
Maintaining a healthy weight and balanced lifestyle will protect you against many cancers, boost your immune system, increase energy, and improve concentration, to name a few benefits.
Up to a third of all cancers are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices including eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight and being active.
To help achieve a healthy diet, enjoy at least five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day, wholegrains that are high in fibre, lean meats, reduced fat dairy products and no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day.
We hope that the Everyday Health Survey will highlight the main factors encouraging Queenslanders to make these unhealthy eating decisions, so that we can develop targeted strategies to help individuals live healthier, happier and more empowered lives.
The survey will also seek to better understand any interactions between mental health, diet and physical activity, and how food habits may be affected by mood.
To take part in the survey, visit cancerqld.org.au/everydayhealthsurvey and complete the short survey before February 29, 2016.
Cancer Council’s Everyday Health Survey is open to all Queenslanders aged 18 and over.
Participants can request a copy of survey findings once they complete the anonymous survey. A free answer sheet, health tips, and recipe are also available to participants.
More information about Cancer Council Queensland is available via 13 11 20 or cancerqld.org.au.
ENDS
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Senior Media Specialist,
Cancer Council Queensland Phone: (07) 3634 5239 Mobile: 0488 015 702