Analyzing the Impact of Lifestyle and Consumption on Australian Health

This essay delves into the intricate relationship between lifestyle, consumption patterns, and the health and wellbeing of Australians. It highlights the influence of Western culture and Indigenous history on the nation's lifestyle, while analyzing the impact of rapid urbanization and development. The essay identifies key factors contributing to health issues, including reduced physical activity, sedentary lifestyles, consumption of fast and junk food, sugary drinks, busy city life, smoking, alcohol abuse, and drug use. It discusses the prevalence of diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and various forms of cancer, linking them to specific lifestyle choices. The analysis covers the increasing popularity of fast food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and the impact of smoking and alcohol consumption, along with the effects of drug abuse on mental health. The essay emphasizes the need to address these lifestyle-related risk factors to improve public health outcomes in Australia, referencing various studies and statistical data to support its arguments. It concludes by summarizing the detrimental effects of the discussed factors and their contribution to morbidity and mortality across the continent.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY SERVICES
Introduction to Community Services
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Introduction:
Australia is predominantly a western culture which has been significantly influenced
by the United Kingdom as well as the unique geography of Australia and the cultural inputs
from the Indigenous Australian communities who have inhabited the continent for thousands
of years (Meyrick et al., 2018). The lifestyle and patterns of consumption have seen
significant changes over the past few decades, and it has been at par with other developed
countries in the world with major international businesses operating from Australia. Studies
have shown that with the rapid urbanization and globalization, the consumption patterns and
lifestyle have also changed and have resulted in an increase in the incidence of lifestyle
related diseases (Germov & Poole, 2011).
The aim of this essay is to discuss the lifestyle and consumption of contemporary
Australians, and its relation to the health and wellbeing of Australians.
Discussion:
Some of the major diseases associated with lifestyle and consumption which are
prevalent across Australia include obesity, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, osteoporosis,
metabolic syndrome, asthma, cardiovascular diseases and some forms of cancer. According
to several studies, the risks of these diseases are closely associated with the lifestyle as well
as choice of food and consumption patterns of the people (Thorburn et al., 2014; Morris et al.,
2016). Discussed below are the consumption patterns and lifestyle choices which have
increased the risks of this disease among Australians.
Reduction in physical exercise, increase in sedentary time:
Modernization of jobs and implementation of technologies have resulted in the
reduction of manual work for most desk based jobs. The employees no longer need to move

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much, and work can get done with the click of a mouse, sitting behind a computer. Although
this have resulted in the work becoming much faster, it also have resulted in the office work
becoming more sedentary, as the employees end up spending a long time sitting behind a
computer. Additionally, there also has been a growing trend among Australian families to
spend the evenings and weekends in front of the television screen, which further increases the
sedentary time spent by the family (Biswas et al., 2015; Jochem et al., 2018).
Consumption of fast food and junk food:
The popularity of fast food has been increasing in Australia for several years. All the
major fast food brands such as McDonalds, Domino’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Hungry Jacks, Red
Rooster and Oporto have strong presence in Australia for quite some time and have become a
cultural significance. More and more schoolchildren now a day prefer to eat fast food. This
culture has also been propagated by the popular and mainstream media with the brands being
regularly advertised on television and media. As a result of which the rates of obesity,
diabetes and cardiovascular diseases still continue to be a major source of morbidity and
mortality across the continent (Harray et al., 2017; Boylan et al., 2017)).
Consumption of sugarated beverages:
Apart from Junk food, Australians are also major consumers of sugarated drinks such
as pop soda and canned fruit juice. Brands such as Coca Cola, Pepsi and Tropicana have
significant market share in Australia and a very strong consumer base. Moreover, the major
consumers of these products are the Australian youth, such as school and college students.
Studies have shown that the sugarated beverages are one of the significant contributors of
obesity and diabetes, and hence it can also be concluded that the popularity of the sugarated
drinks in Australia is also an important contributor of morbidity and mortality in Australia
(Harray et al., 2017).

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Busy city life:
With a rise in the costs of living and rapid urbanization, the lifestyle of people
especially in the metropolitan and urban regions has become fast paced. Due to the busy
schedule, people find it more difficult to find time for healthy activities such as exercises,
going for a walk or jogging. Due to this their health and wellbeing can get significantly
affected, increasing the risks of diseases such as obesity and diabetes. However, in the rural
and remote areas, people predominantly prefer a laid back lifestyle and have more time for
physical activities (McPhail & Waite, 2014).
Smoking:
As of 2015, more than 2.5 million Australians were estimated to be smoking regularly
and 200,000 smoking irregularly, while three out of every ten Australians were found to be
ex smokers. This shows that the habit of smoking is very much prevalent across Australia.
Even though there has been a 36% reduction in smokers since 2001, the number of current
smokers is still very high. These habit further increases the risks of several diseases such as
lower respiratory problems, obesity and even cancer. Furthermore, the rates of smoking were
found to be higher among the unemployed people and in the most disadvantaged regions
which shows that the lifestyle has a significant impact on the smoking habits of people
(Guillaumier et al., 2017; Knott et al., 2016).
Alcoholism:
Drinking alcohol has been a part of the Australian culture for a long time. Alcohol has
played an important role in many cultural celebrations, social activities as well as in
recreation and leisure activities. However, drinking also increase risks for several types of
health conditions such as obesity, liver diseases, kidney diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

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According to studies, 17% of Australians (or 1 out of every 6 people) consume dangerous
levels of alcohol that can lead to disease or injury and 26% (of 1 out of 4 people) have dinks a
large amount of alcohol which can increase risks of injury or diseases, at least once a month
(Azar et al., 2016).
Drug Abuse:
The consumption of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, marijuana, crystal
meth and other pharmacological opioids have increased in Australia. These drugs can
significantly impact the health and wellbeing of the people, and increase the risks of several
mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and amnesia and early dementia.
These mental health problems also have resulted in the incidence of suicides, and statistics
show 10.4 out of every 100,000 Australians commit suicide each year (Kostadinov & Roche,
2017).
Conclusion
The culture of Australia has been influenced by the western culture as well as the
indigenous history of the continent. With the rapid urbanization and development in
Australia, the lifestyle and consumption patterns of the Australians have also changed over
the ages. This change in lifestyle and consumption patterns has also increased the risks of
several diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases
and metabolic syndromes. Factors such as a reduction in physical activity increase in
sedentary lifestyle, consumption of unhealthy food and sugarated beverages, busy city life,
and smoking, drinking alcohol and drug abuse have been the major contributors of morbidity
and mortality across the continent.

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