Healthy Queenslanders
Making Queenslanders Australia's healthiest people
Queensland's unique climate and outdoor lifestyle gives us an ideal environment for making us Australia's healthiest people. We have some of the freshest locally grown fruit and vegetables and an enviable climate for outdoor activities and getting active.
Yet Queensland today has:
- the highest rates of skin cancer in Australia
- the second highest death rate in Australia from heart disease and the highest for stroke
- the second highest level of smoking and risky alcohol consumption in the nation.
Our challenge is to improve the health of Queenslanders and reduce the number of people putting their health, and their lives at risk.
Achieving our targets
Managing demand for hospital services
Rising cases of preventable diseases combined with our growing and ageing population are placing an increased demand on our hospitals. Patient numbers are expected to double over the next 20 years as a result of preventable diseases which is why making changes to our lifestyle now is so important.
The Queensland Government is committed to providing Queenslanders with the best health care, where and when they need it. Improvements to our health care systems, emergency services and hospital infrastructure are helping to reduce elective surgery and emergency department waiting times.
We also recognise that it is not just about more beds and hospitals; it is about increasing the number of health professionals – doctors, nurses and allied health – particularly in locations of high population growth and in rural and regional communities.
Healthy lifestyle changes
While medical advancements may provide the solutions to many of our biggest health problems, adopting a healthier lifestyle is an important step in reducing preventable diseases within our community.
Making healthy lifestyle changes is the first step, and as a community we need to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Simple changes such as eating more fruit and vegetables, being more active, drinking less alcohol, smoking less and avoiding unsafe sun exposure will help reduce preventable diseases in Queensland.
Leading by example
Here are some examples of how Queensland Government agencies have taken up the challenge of making Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people.
2011- 12 Budget highlights
Find out how the 2011-12 State Budget is supporting the Q2 ambitions and targets:
Targets
Overweight/obese
Progress to date:
Overweight/obese: men – 64.1 per cent.
Overweight/obese: women – 50.7 per cent.
Q2 Baseline:
Overweight/obese: men – 62.7 per cent.
Overweight/obese: women – 42.4 per cent.
Smoking
Progress to date:
Smoking: men - 16.6 per cent.
Smoking: women – 13 per cent.
Q2 Baseline:
Smoking: men - 18.9 per cent.
Smoking: women - 15.4 per cent.
Drinking
Progress to date:
Drinking: men - 13.9 per cent.
Drinking: women – 10.6 per cent.
Q2 Baseline:
Drinking: men – 11.5 per cent.
Drinking: women – 12.1 per cent.
Unsafe sun exposure
Progress to date:
4.8 per cent sunburnt on the weekend.
Q2 Baseline:
15 per cent sunburnt on the weekend.
Elective surgery median waiting time
Progress to date:
29 days and best in the country. National average 36 days.
Q2 Baseline:
25 days and best in the country. National average 32 days.
Elective surgery patients seen within clinically recommended timeframes
Progress to date:
85 per cent of elective surgery patients seen within clinically recommended timeframes in November 2011.
Q2 Baseline:
85 per cent and third in the country.
National average 84 per cent.
Emergency department median waiting times
Progress to date:
23 minutes and fourth in the country.
National average 23 minutes.
Q2 Baseline:
29 minutes and third longest in the country.
National average 24 minutes.
Patients seen within clinically recommended timeframes
Progress to date:
67 per cent and third in the country.
National average 70 per cent.
Q2 Baseline:
61 per cent and sixth in the country.
National average 70 per cent.
