A national poll by the Australian medical research body, Research Australia, has found that many Australians are worried about developing a range of chronic diseases during their lifetime, particularly diseases such as arthritis.
According to Research Australia more than 40% are worried about developing arthritis, more than a third worry about the risk of depression and a quarter of the population worries about heart disease, hearing loss, type 2 diabetes, asthma and stroke - and this concern is more so amongst Australians living in rural and regional areas.
People now seem to be more interested in their health and want to know their risks and what they can do to minimise them and many have embarked on regular exercise programs and have undergone routine screening for a disease or illness and are apparently prepared to participate in medical research to improve their health.
Lifestyle habits too have changed with many significantly reducing their weekly intake of alcohol and cigarettes.
Health continues to be the issue of greatest importance to Australians and government plans to offer incentives to employers to encourage healthier lifestyles among staff will come as welcome news.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has earmarked $450 million for a new Health Prevention National Partnership, which aims to encourage people to stay fit and develop a healthy lifestyle by targeting smoking, drinking and obesity - this will ultimately take pressure off hospitals by preventing many major diseases such as diabetes.