CENTAMAN
Centaman has been a market leader in Enterprise Software Solutions for the leisure and recreation industry and both profit and not-for-profit attractions since 1991. It offers a wide range of software…
read moreReinforcing the importance of creating environments that support and promote exercise in Australia, newly released research has suggested that more than three times as many cancer cases are attributable to physical inactivity than previously thought.
The research led by the Cancer Council and funded by the Victorian Government through the Victorian Cancer Agency, quantifies the proportion of cancers attributable to physical inactivity - reflecting that more cancer types, including breast, colon, bladder, endometrial, kidney, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, gastric, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, head and neck, myeloma, myeloid leukaemia, liver, and gallbladder, are now linked to physical inactivity.
Published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, it estimates that of 6,361 of the cancers observed in 2015 were attributable to physical inactivity, representing 4.8% of all cancers diagnosed - a 350% increase from the previous estimation that 1,814 (1.6% of incident cancers) were attributable to physical inactivity in Australia in 2010.
Associate Professor Brigid Lynch, senior author of the paper, saw evolving evidence that physical inactivity was associated with at least 13 types of cancer - not just three types, as researchers once believed - and wanted to update the estimates based on Australian activity levels and cancer rates.
The research goes on to suggest that more than 2,500 cancer cases (1.9% of all cancers) could have been prevented in 2015 if Australian adults had increased their physical activity by a modest amount (around 40 minutes per week) a decade earlier.
Advising that the findings provide a contemporary understanding of the cancer burden due to physical inactivity, Associate Professor Lynch explained “we now know being physically active reduces the risk of 13 types of cancer.
“This new research highlights the number of individual cancer diagnoses that could have been prevented if Australians were better supported to integrate regular physical activity into their day.”
Ainslie Sartori, Deputy Chair of Cancer Councils Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity Committee says these findings are essential to improving how physical activity is considered in cancer prevention policies, noting “Australia is a nation proud of its health system, yet we don’t have a physical activity plan or coordinated national physical activity strategy. Combined with changes in food supply, eating behaviours, a rise in convenience and ultra-processed foods, we are living in environments that do not promote healthy lifestyles.
“We want to ensure there are systems and environments in place for all Australians to develop strong physical activity habits that they can carry on, reducing their risk of developing cancer later in life.”
While any type of activity reduces risk, the significance of muscle mass in a cancer suppressing environment may make regular resistance training particularly powerful, says Professor Rob Newton, the Deputy Director of Edith Cowan University’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute.
Professor Newton explains that physical activity has a “huge influence” over the functionality of the immune system, noting “when you have a more effective, more surveillant system that can identify and destroy those precancerous cells, they never progress to a malignancy.”
However, he acknowledges that there has been little emphasis on physical activity in cancer prevention, adding “this is something we really need to address ... we can’t keep throwing drugs at these things.”
Currently, there is no national physical activity plan to inform governments about creating systems that promote being active, like less car-centric cities, improved bike paths, more public transport and access to green spaces.
To address this, Sartori and Associate Professor Lynch are urging the government to implement the National Preventive Health Strategy and National Obesity Strategy which recommends a physical activity policy, as well as urban design, education, and support to encourage and enable people to increase their physical activity and live longer and healthier lives.
Click here to view the paper in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
21st February 2024 - 2024 AUSactive Active Health Summit spotlighted as a Melbourne event not to be missed
15th February 2024 - AUSactive and OneMusic Australia combine to present webinar for fitness studio operators
14th February 2024 - AUSactive submission for 2024/25 Federal budget calls for tax deductibility for gym memberships
9th January 2024 - Worksite health promotion and exercise for older adults among top trends in 2024 ACSM worldwide survey
8th January 2024 - Central Coast’s Ready2Move exercise program aims to help mid-life adults develop a more active lifestyle
5th January 2024 - 20 sport and recreation activities receive funding from Western Australian Government
4th January 2024 - AUSactive identifies exercise for mental health as the year’s top fitness trend
22nd December 2023 - AUSActive’s Barrie Elvish ‘frustrated’ by physical activity and exercise levels shown in new ABS data
21st December 2023 - New ABS release contains key statistics and information about exercise and physical activity
17th November 2023 - AusFitness Expo and AUSactive announce two-year partnership
3rd November 2023 - Swimming remains most popular activity as children return to sport
4th November 2023 - Gymnastics Australia responds to latest national AusPlay report
10th October 2023 - Benefits of exercise spotlighted on World Mental Health Day 2023
3rd July 2023 - Study finds gym exercise and resistance training guidance based on male research
25th May 2023 - Study suggests major sporting events fail to inspire mass physical activity
22nd May 2023 - ASAPD gets Australian Sports Commission backing to increase sport and physical activity accessibility
28th April 2023 - Latest AusPlay data shows exercise worth $16.4 billion a year to Australians
6th March 2023 - AUSactive highlights urgent need for Federal Budget to prioritise physical activity
6th October 2022 - World Health Organization backed summit calls for sustainable mega sports event legacies which boost physical activity
23rd September 2022 - New calls for Australia to adopt a National Strategy on Physical Activity
12th July 2022 - AUSactive ready to engage with new Federal Government to deliver national wellbeing budget
4th March 2022 - VicHealth believes more urgent action required in National Obesity Strategy
25th February 2022 - Griffith University assesses role of exercise in helping women with recurrent ovarian cancer
21st October 2021 - Golf Australia partners with Cancer Council for golf marathon to raise awareness of skin cancer
22nd August 2020 - AIS backs athlete preventative healthcare model with scholarship program
11th November 2019 - Northern Territory first to participate in National Obesity Strategy Consultation
26th April 2019 - Study shows wearable fitness technology gets cancer survivors active
7th May 2018 - Groundbreaking report calls for exercise to be prescribed to cancer patients
8th August 2018 - Combatting physical inactivity with preventative health promotion
12th December 2017 - Group exercise offers significant fitness and wellness benefits
17th September 2016 - Exercise offsets some of the cancer and mortality risks associated with alcohol
24th May 2016 - Breast cancer survivor reaches 30 year milestone as gym and group fitness instructor
21st October 2013 - Cancer Council welcomes Queensland solarium ban
2nd September 2009 - Health Strategy seeks Ban on Alcohol Sponsorship in Sport
Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?
As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.
The Complete Guide to Leisure Industry Products & Services.
Centaman has been a market leader in Enterprise Software Solutions for the leisure and recreation industry and both profit and not-for-profit attractions since 1991. It offers a wide range of software…
read moreTrack. Engage. Retain GreeneDesk is a suite of cloud based software solutions helping health clubs, leisure centres and swim schools to effectively track progression, improve customer engagement and…
read moreCommercial gym equipment supplier Aussie Strength was wound up at the end of 2022. .aussie p { padding:20px; }
read morePolin was founded in Istanbul in 1976, and has since grown into a leading company in the waterparks industry. Today Polin is one of the world leaders in the design, production, and installation of…
read moreAs of February 2023, Ungerboeck Software has rebranded as Momentus Technologies.
read moreAUSTRALIAN MADE. FIT FOR PURPOSE. Based on the Gold Coast, AlphaFit is a leading manufacturer and supplier of Australian gym equipment specifically for the commercial, strength and conditioning,…
read moreBioGuard is Australia and New Zealand’s most trusted supplier of premium, innovative and affordable commercial water treatment systems and chemicals. BioGuard offers a comprehensive range of…
read moreClubware’s online gym software is not your run of the mill management system. It has been carefully designed to incorporate all the elements that a fitness club would need. How did we do that?…
read moreGet your business noticed in our targeted directory. Viewed by 10,000 industry professionals per week!