In December 2015, the RCH launched the first Australian Child Health Poll; which reveals the top ten child health problems as reported by the Australian public.
The key findings of the national survey show that:
- Almost 60 per cent of Australians say excessive screen time is a big health problem for Australian children and young people.
- Parents rate obesity more highly as a big problem for children in the community than for their own children.
- One in ten parents rate dental issues as a big problem for their own children.
- The top ten perceived health problems relate to modern lifestyle, mental health concerns and child safety.
The RCH Australian Child Health Poll will be conducted quarterly to deliver timely, relevant new knowledge about the health, wellbeing and lived experience of children and young people in contemporary Australia.
Each poll will focus on a different topic or theme. It will put Australian families and communities at the heart of the conversation about child and adolescent health problems, and help us understand the thoughts, attitudes and behaviours of Australian children and teenagers today.
For more information see www.childhealthpoll.org.au
One comment for “First Australian Child Health Poll”
john woods
Dear RCHM
the information reveal by your Poll confirms earlier statements by DOCS NSW. The former State Labour Minister stated in her retirement speech to the NSW State Parliament that some 215,000 children in NSW were at serious risk. On the ground staff at DOCS say that each day they receive some 600 credible calls of children at risk. Insufficient staff at DOCS to respond.
If this information is extrapolated across Australia the numbers of children at risk is of the order of 1,000,000. Politicians of all colours ignore these at risk of serious harm children concentrating on the few thousand children who are refugees instead.
Better to deal with a few grains of sand rather than the whole beach.