Australia’s health profile has undergone a pretty significant shift over the past two decades. While life expectancy is still one of the highest in the world, the number of people with chronic disease is just going up and up. We’re talking about the impact of a modern lifestyle where people spend an awful lot of their time stuck behind a desk, staring at screens all day, not eating too well, getting stressed, and sleeping terribly, often because they’re not getting enough exercise or not getting proper pathology testing. All these factors have helped lead to a big increase in people developing preventable health problems. These can go undetected for years before they show any symptoms.
The Burden of Chronic Disease in Australia Just Keeps Rising
Chronic diseases are still the main reason for illness, disability, hospitalisation and even death in Australia. A staggering 49.9% of Aussies were living with at least one chronic condition in 2022, and 81.4% had at least one health condition they had to live with. Things like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, breathing problems & mental health issues are all big users of the healthcare system. It’s especially notable how much worse it’s getting, from 42.2% with one or more chronic conditions in 2007 08 to 49.9% in 2022. It really shows that we need to think more about prevention, rather than just patching things up after they go wrong. A full body health check really helps you work out what you’re at risk of before it’s too late.
Spotting Conditions Early on Really Makes a Big Difference
One of the most important things about doing a proper health check is spotting diseases at an early stage when they’re not causing any problems. A lot of serious conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney disease and some cancers can develop without any symptoms at all. A check-up usually includes all sorts of things like physical checks, imaging and blood tests to see how your insides are doing. What the evidence tells us is that when we catch things early on, treatment is more effective, there are fewer complications and people live longer. Take for example someone with prediabetes. If we can pick up on the signs early on, they can change their lifestyle and stop developing diabetes altogether. It’s not just the health benefits, the economics are pretty compelling too. Treating really serious health problems after they’ve got out of control costs a lot more than just taking some steps to prevent them in the first place.
Hiding Loads of Hidden Health Risks
The way we live in Australia has changed a lot and it’s got some real health risks attached to it. Only about 1 in 4 people aged 15 and up are getting enough exercise, and over 47% of people at work said they sit down most of their working day. Not getting enough exercise is linked to all sorts of problems like heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and other metabolic problems. Now being overweight is a bigger problem than smoking when it comes to disease burden in Australia. This all means that just waiting until someone is ill is not good enough. Regular check-ups allow doctors to spot the early signs of a problem before it’s too late.
The Cost of Waiting: How Preventive Healthcare Can Keep Long-term Healthcare Costs Down
The economics of healthcare are increasingly backing up the benefits of preventative medicine. Chronic illnesses are behind around 52% of hospital admissions and 89% of deaths in Australia. It’s a huge financial and social burden that really adds up when you’re treating late-stage disease. Regular health assessments can make a big difference and cut down on unnecessary healthcare use. Spotting high blood pressure, abnormal glucose levels or other warning signs before they become major problems can stop costly emergency interventions and long hospital stays.
As Our Population Gets Older, We Need to be Monitoring Them More Closely
Australia’s population is ageing fast and that’s putting a lot more strain on our healthcare system. The older you get, the more likely you are to develop a bunch of chronic conditions all at once. In Australia, nearly 1 in 5 people are already living with at least two chronic conditions.
Your Physical Health is Only Half the Story: How Mental Health is Catching Up
Health checks are often about physical health, but because of the way the body and brain are connected, were learning that mental wellbeing is just as important. Mental and behavioural health disorders are the number one chronic condition category in Australia and affect almost one in four people. Stress, anxiety and sleep problems can all have a knock-on effect on your heart health, weight and metabolism, among other things.
