Government ideally placed to re-introduce campaign
The Australian Government should act on comprehensive new research and run an intensive SunSmart campaign to reduce Australia’s unacceptable skin cancer burden, Cancer Council Australia said today (8 September).
Commenting on today’s release of the joint ACE-Prevention report – the most complex evaluation of health prevention measures conducted in Australia – the chair of Cancer Council Australia’s Public Health Committee, Craig Sinclair, said the research showed skin cancer awareness campaigns were among the best five public health investments available to government in terms of cost-effectiveness.
“Our own research, based on the effectiveness of Australian Government awareness campaigns over recent summers, shows that media campaigns have the potential to dramatically reduce skin cancer death and disease in Australia,” Mr Sinclair said.
“So it is not surprising that the ACE-Prevention report found skin cancer prevention to be such a cost-effective public health investment.
“It was one of only a handful of measures shown to save more than 100,000 disability adjusted life years – that is, years of life otherwise lost to ill-health, disability or early death.
“This reflects both the effectiveness of the awareness campaigns as a public health intervention and the enormity of Australia’s skin cancer burden.
“So, with summer approaching and the process of government about to resume, the time is ideal for the Australian Government to demonstrate its commitment to saving lives and wisely investing taxpayer funds by re-introducing the national skin cancer awareness campaign.”
Mr Sinclair said the Government should investigate a number of other recommendations in the report that would impact on cancer, particularly those that are consistent with recommendations of the Preventative Health Taskforce, which have yet to be translated into action.
“We know prevention works, and this research adds to the evidence base around what is best value for money,” he said.
Contact:
Kate Dorrell 0404 691 838 or kate.dorrell@cancer.org.au