Global Health Landscape
The global health landscape is changing rapidly as a consequence of a myriad of factors including population growth, ageing, lifestyle changes and new pandemics of chronic disease and injury. This is placing unprecedented demands on already overstretched healthcare resources in both higher and lower income countries.
Research is essential in the development of effective and affordable solutions to these challenges. The George Institute is committed to undertaking research and identifying practical solutions that are central to improving the health of people worldwide, particularly in those in resource-poor settings.
Improving healthcare for poor rural communities in China
Rural China is home to 700 million people and for many - access to essential health services is limited. Moreover, these communities face an enormous burden of chronic disease. Rates of stroke, particularly intracerebral haemorrhage, are among the highest in the world, and death or disability following stroke is very common. While there are effective and affordable strategies for stroke prevention, these are not routinely available to those in need. The China Rural Health Initiative has been established with the purpose of developing innovative strategies to increase access to preventive programs for stroke and other common serious conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Initiative is coordinated by The George Institute China and involves collaboration with Peking University Health Sciences Center, five provincial universities and health departments, as well as Duke University in the US and Imperial College London in the UK.
Our work in this area:
- LifeSeeds Project
- Our focus: Disadvantaged populations
- Our focus: Chronic conditions
- The George Institute China
- Blood-pressure-related disease is a global health priority
Reducing road traffic injuries among Indigenous Australians
Road traffic injuries are three times higher in Indigenous Australians than in non-Indigenous Australians, and there is no complete explanation for this difference. Data on important determinants of injury such as road user behavior, road crashes and driver licensing are inadequate in many regions of Australia, and this prevents the development of appropriately targeted intervention strategies. The George Institute is developing novel approaches to the routine collection of road safety data among Indigenous Australians, with a view to using this to inform the design of programs for injury prevention.
Our work in this area:
Innovative approaches to essential drug development
The challenge of managing chronic diseases requires innovative approaches to drug development. In the past, drug development has focused exclusively on the needs of high-income countries. Today, drug development needs to focus on the needs of low and middle-income countries, in which resources – both human and financial – are scarce. The Institute has established partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry to develop innovative products for this market. One such product is a ‘polypill’ containing four drugs known to prevent heart attack and stroke. The polypill offers a simple, low-cost strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease occurrence in those at high risk.
Our work in this area:
Advocacy for healthier food supplies
Poor diet is a major contributor to chronic disease worldwide. The food supply in most countries provides excess levels of nutrients such as total fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt, delivered in increasingly large serves of energy dense foods. This combination is driving global epidemics of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and dyslipidaemia which in turn cause epidemics of heart attacks, strokes and cancers. Even small changes in key constituents of the food supply have the potential to produce enormous health gains. Furthermore, if such changes can be implemented centrally through policy change or food reformulation they can positively influence the health of very large numbers of individuals at low cost. The Institute is leading an Australian collaboration that is addressing salt in processed foods – Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health.
Our work in this area:
- Our focus: chronic conditions
- Salt reduction in the Western Pacific Region: strategies for action
- Databases to monitor composition of foods
- Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH)
- Salt in Australia: Extensive Drop the Salt! reports
