14 Aug 2012
YMCA of Sydney: Australia tops 'wrong' international leaderboards
BY Pete Hayman
Australia needs to give serious consideration to the international "leaderboards" it heads in terms of obesity and other chronic illness, according to the YMCA of Sydney.
Phillip Hare, chief executive officer of the non-profit community organisation, believes there should be a greater focus placed on the country's health and wellbeing.
It follows recent attention given to Australia's Olympic performance; something which Hare said was at odds with a lack of emphasis on preventative health measures and participation.
Hare said: "For two weeks every four years Australia becomes obsessed with climbing the Olympic medal ranks, but what about all the other days in between - are we actively trying to reduce our obesity ranking and improve community health?
"If, as a nation, we want to curb obesity levels, family breakdown and youth depression, we need to focus more on the family unit and provide opportunities in local communities for that unit to be strengthened."
Click here for more from Phillip Hare on how Australia needs to pay more attention to the health and wellbeing of the country's population.
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