• Research from around the world
• Aged 45 to 49? You might be eligible for a new health check  rebate

Research from around the world

Experts from the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health comment on recent world research on the benefits of exercise for a range of health conditions.

Exercise pivotal to prevent and fight type 2 diabetes

A new study has shown that as little as 15 minutes of acute exercise a day can have a major effect on preventing and fighting type 2 diabetes. The researchers define acute as meaning a bout of activity in which people actively particpate, as opposed to incidental activity resulting from everyday activities.

“The message is that many people can fight type 2 diabetes with simple routine diet and exercise alone,” says Professor Helena Teede. “Making exercise a daily habit has proven to have a significant effect on insulin levels. It’s never too late to make changes. Start by changing one small thing and build on it until you’ve developed healthy habits that you can sustain longterm.”

Exercise when young may reduce risk of fractures later

Running and jumping in childhood has been shown to provide lifelong benefits for future bone health and appears to reduce the risk of fractures later in life according to recent United States research.

“Exercise increases bone strength and size,” says osteoporosis educator and project manager Nikki McGrath. “The skeleton is most responsive to exercise during the crucial growing years around puberty. Short periods of exercise several times a week will stimulate bone development in children.”

Exercise improves quality of life for people with breast cancer

A recent study shows that group exercise sessions can help to improve the physical and psychological wellbeing of people diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, can affect quality of life. Scottish researchers studied the effect of group exercise in women having treatment for early stage breast cancer. After 12 weeks of exercise training, participants had better outcomes on both a physical and psychological level than those in the control group who had not taken part in the exercise program. Researchers measured levels of depression, quality of life, mood, shoulder mobility, walking distances and weekly levels of physical activity.

“Exercise, particularly in a social situation, is a wonderful way to release tension and stress,” says psychologist Dr Mandy Deeks. “It’s great to see that this study has shown that exercise benefits both physical and psychological aspects. The researchers measured levels of depression, quality of life, mood, shoulder mobility, walking distances and weekly levels of physical activity.”

Aged 45 to 49?
You might be eligible for a new health check rebate

Just at the time in your life when you may be  noticing the signs – and feeling the impact of – ageing, a new rebatable health check program could help you to prevent or  delay the onset of  chronic disease.

If you thought that AIDS, cancer or even tuberculosis was the biggest burden of disease globally, you’d be shocked to learn that a recent World Health Organization report states that the biggest burden of disease across the world is in fact ‘chronic disease’.

According to the report, 35 million people worldwide will die from a chronic disease this year. Half of these will be women and half will be under 70. The fact is chronic disease is becoming more widespread and costly, yet it’s among the most preventable of all health problems.

Chronic disease

A chronic disease or condition is one that has been,   or is likely to be, present for at least six months (or  a  terminal condition). These include conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, mental health conditions, arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions, cancer and asthma.

Government initiative to counter chronic  disease

A new Australian Government initiative has recognised the importance of the role that GPs can play in supporting people towards leading healthier lives. From late last year a once only health checkfor people aged 45 to 49 has been made available across Australia as  part of the Australian Better Health  Initiative.

According to Jean Hailes Medical Centre Senior Medical Officer Dr Sue Reddish, the initiative aims to assist prevention of chronic disease and to enable early intervention strategies to be put in place where appropriate. “Hopefully, this initiative will help shift the focus of healthcare from fixing health problems after they have developed,” she says, “to detecting risk factors for potential disease and providing options for management to improve quality of life  and prevent chronic illness.”

“The truth is that as we get older, many of us will become more vulnerable to illness,” she says. “We begin noticing it in our friends, our workmates, our neighbours and ourselves. Part of a GP’s role is to promote healthier lifestyles by encouraging people to  make informed choices to help reduce their risk of  developing disease as they age.”

Eligibility

This new health check will support GPs in carrying  out a complete check of people aged 45  to  49 (inclusive) who are at risk of developing a  chronic disease.The decision about whether a person is at risk rests with the clinical judgement of the GP, with at least one risk factor being identified. Risk factors that your GP may use to determine eligibility may include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Impaired glucose metabolism
• Overweight
• Smoking
• Inadequate exercise
• Poor nutrition
• Alcohol misuse
• Family history of a chronic disease

Cost of the health check

The Medicare rebate for the health check, payable once only for each eligible patient, is $100. There may be some out of pocket cost depending on your GPs fee structure.

“Many women in this age group are working, caring for children and families and often put everyone else’s health issues ahead of their own. This new initiative will provide a specific Medicare rebate to hopefully encourage women to commit for a complete health check at least once between the age of 45 and 49,” says Sue Reddish.

How your GP can support you

Your health check will give your doctor the opportunity to look closely at your lifestyle.
She/he will be able to:

• Check your health risks
• Give you advice on how to reduce your risk of future illness by making some healthy changes
• Provide you with practical tips to help you improve your health
• Put you in touch with expert information and support

“Encouragement from a supportive GP can help you to make practical and achievable everyday changes that will lead to better health now and as you age,” says Sue.

Resources

For Medicare claiming and payment queries, call the Medicare Australia provider enquiry line on 132 150.

Additional questions and answers and a sample checklist can be found at www.health.gov.au/epc.

Content updated May 14, 2007