Headlines on health

California is to phase out certain ultraprocessed foods from school meals over the next decade under a first-in-the-nation law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Schools will have to start removing those foods from their menus by July 2029, and districts will be barred from selling them for breakfast or lunch by July 2035.

Laws have been introduced into federal parliament to stop employers from scrapping leave entitlements when families face the tragedy of a stillbirth or death of their baby.

A snapshot of Australian general practice has revealed that GPs are having to see patients for longer appointments to treat more complex medical needs. The Health of the Nation industry survey of almost 2,500 GPs also shows a growing number of general practitioners are managing patient conditions typically handled by specialists.

There are fears that many children with autism or learning difficulties will fall between the cracks of a new support system that aims to limit access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The Thriving Kids initiative will be rolled out from the middle of next year, with a focus on providing support to children with so-called mild to moderate autism within community and mainstream settings....

Nearly two years after the failed referendum saw a First Nations voice to parliament shot down, some NGOs and state governments have been taking the initiative to follow the wishes of the majority of Indigenous communities in Australia who voted for this special representation. Australia's principal non-government organisation for public health, the Public Health Association of Australia, has anno...

Loneliness among men has been described as a "crisis" in Australia, and it appears to be on the rise. This social isolation can not only hurt mens mental health and overall wellbeing, it is also costing the Australian economy billions of dollars. A recent Australian study could hold the answer as to why men appear to be stuggling more with loneliness.

The Public Health Association of Australia has announced they will be establishing an Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander voice to help guide their work after a near unanimous vote by their members. Nearly two years after the failed referendum saw a First Nations voice to parliament shot down, NGOs like the PHAA and state governments have chosen to follow the wishes of the majority of Indigenous...

Tens of thousands of registered nurses across the country will be able to up-skill to prescribe medications usually authorised by a doctor. It's a reform that could change the medical landscape in Australia... and the lives of many patients.

A framework has been developed to track and improve the treatment options for dementia patients in aged care. The proposal come after the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare named dementia as the leading cause of death in Australia.

After years of trying to conceive, Isabel Lewis thought the hard part was over — until cybercriminals targeted her fertility clinic. The data breach at Genea Fertility included patient's medical histories, diagnoses and treatments, medications and prescriptions, as well as pathology and diagnostic test results. Now, hundreds of Australians have shown interest in a class action lawsuit over the bre...

Using your phone while on the toilet could be linked to an increased chance of haemorrhoids, according to a study from the United States. So if you're a loo scroller, the extra time spent on the toilet could be doing you more harm than good.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has produced a snap shot of Women’s health across the life course. While rates of cancer have gone down for women over the last 25 years, younger women continue to experience higher rates of depression and other mental health conditions.

Despite being a proven life-saving treatment, 1 in 5 Australians who need radiotherapy never receive it. This year, on September 7, the first-ever World Radiotherapy Awareness Day will be launched, and experts say it's an opportunity to dispel fears of the treatment.

20,000 more home care packages are to be available to vulnerable older Australians after the federal government was forced to make a deal with the Coalition. It was the first major test faced by Labor since it was re-elected, which was cornered in the senate to make changes to its aged care reform policy.

The number of Australians living with allergy has doubled in nearly 20 years, according to a new report, which examines the financial and personal costs of the chronic condition. Demand for services is unprecedented, and experts warn allergy does not just impact health - it can reshape sufferers’ lives.

The number of children being diagnosed with autism is rising, putting a heavy strain on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The government has responded, announcing a plan to divert children away from the NDIS to a new scheme called Thriving Kids. Parents and autism advocates say they were unaware of the strategy until it was made public.

Public health experts have raised concerns about the beliefs and behaviours of individuals of reproductive age on social media. In a recent study, La Trobe University researchers looked into the rise of contraceptive misinformation on TikTok.

A chikungunya outbreak in China has infected more than 7,000 people. Chikungunya causes fever and joint pain, but in some cases can be fatal. There is no vaccine or real treatment. Epidemiologist Jason Rasgon, from Penn State University, explains how the disease is transmitted, and why it seems to be spreading to new areas. The chikungunya virus is not currently endemic in Australia. There have be...

Around the world, fertility rates are dropping. The rate for each generation to replace itself is an average of 2.1 births per woman - and many countries are well below that figure. Does it matter? Surely reducing the population will make the Earth's resources go further? In this edition of Weekend One on One we hear from Associate Professor Michael Giarrusso from the University of Texas, who says...

Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle have tested a new HIV vaccine using mRNA, the technology behind many COVID-19 vaccines. Scientists say results from the early-stage clinical trial offer hope for significant progress in the global effort to develop a safe and effective HIV vaccine. For this episode of Weekend One on One, Angelica Waite has been speaking with Associate P...

The Australian Dental Association says around 1.5 million kids are missing out on free dental care every year. This Dental Health Week, dentists are urging parents to check if they're eligible for the free dental cover and to brush up on their understanding of good oral hygiene. Meanwhile, Aboriginal health organisations say awareness around the issue is not the only barrier facing First Nations a...

A new report has revealed just how disproportionately migrant communities are affected by hepatitis. Underdiagnosis of the infection, and connecting patients with care and treatment, remain the major challenges.

An Australian early intervention program for deaf children is, for the first time, being piloted overseas. The therapy is for children whose family have chosen for them to be fitted with a hearing device such as a cochlear implant. The collaboration between not-for-profit The Shepherd Centre and health officials in Japan is a decade in the making.

A leading scientist has recommended that dementia be treated as an economic crisis as well as a health issue. Over 400,000 Australians live with dementia, and with an ageing population, this is expected to double by 2050. But dementia advocates say research funding in Australia lags behind other conditions, limiting access to life-changing dementia prevention and management programs.

Around four million Australians, or one in five, are living with chronic pain. Many report feeling overlooked and ignored within the healthcare system, prompting experts to call for greater national investment, including a more holistic approach to care.