health in the australian media
...ealth policy. The new public health approach takes a holistic approach to health recognizing the influence of individual behaviour and environmental factors. Today’s current health and health promotion is a combined effort between the individual, the community and health professionals. This approach is evident in the majority of newspaper articles that I have gathered. The number of teenagers having unprotected sex is on the increase. Australia has the second highest abortion rates among teens, after the United States. An article printed in the Daily Telegraph tells us that the reason for this increase is not because of todays teenagers, but because of the lack of sex education in schools. This is an example of the newer public health policy as this lack of education is being blamed for the problem. “The curriculum fails to deliver the necessary information that could prevent teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.” More money and thought needs to be put into sex education in order for it to impact upon teens. The media reports matters of mental health and depression, in the hope of changing peoples attitudes towards these two diseases Currently, the media is working alongside blueprint (a nation wide program that deals with Mental health issues) to engage local communities in these issues.. A major risk factor of mental health is depression, which is, in turn, a risk factor for suicide. “Despite the fact that no one can predict youth suicide, the good news is that the community as a whole could reduce the number of young people at risk of suicide by taking note of the major risk factor, depression.” The media looks to educate people on this growing issue. Another example of mental health in the media is the article titled “walking can lift your day and help beat the blues.” Here, the media is aiding the public by giving them help and advice on ways to deal with depression. Medical evidence proves that the number of Australians that suffer from depression each year could be dramatically decreased if people started walking more. Exercise lifts your day and makes you feel that you have a purpose in life. The government has already started to address the important issue of reducing the death toll on our roads, especially for young drivers. The media aids the government in tackling this problem and helping to publicise forums and seminars that are aimed at educating people about the road. Examples of this include an advertisement I recently found in The Manly Daily which is encouraging people to attend an emergency services forum that will deal with the toll on our local roads. Legislation may also be introduced which will ban young drivers from driving powerful cars. This will hopefully reduce the road toll among young drivers ...