Living Better Longer

Today Australians are living longer. In 2019 Australians were living 25 years longer than they were in the early 1900s.¹ In the past the main causes of death were communicable (infectious) diseases (CD). These were brought under control by improvements in public and personal hygiene, immunisation and antibiotics.

More recently life expectancy has increased due to better health care and medical science. In 2020 the main causes of death were heart disease, dementia and alzheimer’s, cerebrovascular diseases (includes strokes), lung cancer and lower respiratory diseases.² Apart from some respiratory diseases none of these are communicable from one person to another and are referred to as non-communicable diseases (NCD).² The cause of these diseases is the change of lifestyle that has occurred over the years; less exercise, less fruit and vegetables, more animal products, more highly refined foods (especially refined carbohydrates like starch and sugar), less sleep, less water etc. and the associatied increase in body weight of people. Consequently, these are called lifestyle diseases. However, it is not just the length of life that has to be considered but the quality of life. Today our hospitals and nursing homes are becoming clogged as a result, primarily, by people who have NCD.

The Adventist Health Association was established in 1987 to assist the WA Conference in its health programs and now operates as Adventist Health under the WA Conference. Many different programs have been offered over the years, and some are still offered. In more recent years the most popular and relevant one has become the Computer Health Age which projects a person’s longevity based on seven lifestyle practices. This computer program is based on a study which evaluated the longevity of 6,900 people over 15 years based on seven lifestyle practices.³ As an example it was found that a person doing all seven of the lifestyle practices could, on average, live up to 10-12 years longer than someone not doing any of the these lifestyle practices. Although not incorporated in the program they also aged 20-30 years later.

The importance of these lifestyle practises in promoting longevity has been confirmed by numerous studies.⁴,⁵ In other words these studies showed how important these practices are in helping us “LIVE BETTER LONGER”.

The lifestyle practices evaluated are: exercise; breakfast; snacking on junk food; smoking; sleep; alcohol consumption; and BMI. Today there is a lot more information on lifestyle factors which could be incorporated into the program and these are being evaluated. However, we have to be careful when doing this as the basis for this program is it doesn’t take too much time.

Each participant fills out a form, this information is then entered into a computer, which then calculates the persons health age based on their health practices. The form also includes a list of things they can choose to educate themselves

on. These include: managing stress; vegetarian cooking classes; maintaining a healthy weight; improving fitness; improving family life; improving spiritual health etc. Each participant has the results explained to them, and is given a pamphlet(s) on the practice(s) they are recommended to attend to e.g. how to control their weight, how to exercise more. In addition they are given brochure(s), on the subject(s) they have ticked on their forms and details of programs they requested. Also, every participant is given a ball point pen with our website on it, a Glow tract on Steps to Health and an application for the Adventist Media Living Well correspondence course.

The Computer Health Age is conducted at shows, health programs and at high schools. Many of the high schools in the Metropolitan area have a Health Expo once a year in which we are invited to attend. However, our programs have been restricted by COVID lockdowns, particularly in 2020. In a typical year around 2,000 people will participate in the program. In spite of COVID, in 2021 1,290 people did the program.

Conducting this program requires personnel to handle the number of participants wanting to do the program. This is particularly so at high schools where students come one class at a time and with a limited time allowed for each class. Personnel are needed to distribute forms, assist participants to fill forms out, to take height and weight, to enter data into the computers and to explain results and give participants the literature they have requested.Is it worth it? Yes. Helpers find it very rewarding when people come back a second year and do it again to see if they have improved their Health Age. It is particularly rewarding when students come and do it again to see if they have improved. Some report having stopped smoking and/or drinking. We don’t know the results of the literature that is handed out. Everyone who wants to improve their spiritual life receives “Path to Peace (Steps to Christ)” and “Hope for troubled times”. In addition Signs of the Times are available. Our prayer is that we help participants “LIVE BETTER LONGER” and that some may have been convicted to prepare for eternal life.

Finally we are indebted to the faithful group of regular volunteers who help when they can and to the WA Conference for their support.

If you are willing to help with this program, please contact either of the persons listed:

Jan
0406 369 242
adventisthealth@cbchapman.com.au
or
Warren
0401 103 131
w.grubb@curtin.edu.au

References

¹ https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/historical-population/latest-releaseABS
² https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release
³ Belloc, N.B. and Breslow, L. Relationship of physical health status and health practices (1972) Preventive Medicine 1(3): 409-421.
⁴ National Geographic Nov. 2005 “Secrets of living longer”
⁵ https://www.verywellhealth.com/lifestyle-factors-health-longevity-prevent-death-1132391