New data reveals disproportionate COVID-19 mortality and prevalence rates among Australian CALD communities
New Government data released today reveals disproportionate COVID-19 mortality and prevalence rates recorded among Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse populations (CALD). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows our nation has witnessed almost three times as many deaths from COVID-19 among those born overseas compared with those born locally (in Australia). The ABS data…
Lowering your risk of developing dementia
One in 10 Australians aged 65 years and above are living with dementia, the risk of diagnosis for which doubles every five years from aged 60. Dementia is not a specific disease, but rather, a broad term used to describe a group of symptoms that cause progressive damage to the brain. These symptoms include a…
Australian researchers have identified first genes linked to anorexia nervosa
Did you know approximately 85,000 Australian adults are currently living with anorexia nervosa? Anorexia nervosa is a serious and complex mental disease with psychiatric and physical symptoms. It is a life-impairing illness characterised by dangerously low body weight, an intense aversion to gaining weight and an inability or unwillingness to recognise the seriousness of the…
Sad news of the passing of a giant of the Australian communications industry – Rest in Peace Peter Lazar AM LFPRIA
VIVA! Communications was saddened today to learn of the passing of Aussie PR veteran, Peter Lazar AM LFPRIA. The Life Fellow and Past President of the PR Institute, creator of the PRIA Golden Target Awards and Registered Consultancy Group PRIA, and co-author of the ‘Australian and New Zealand Public Relations Manual’ had an extraordinary professional…
Looking back on my time at VIVA! – Bella Poidevin
When I first came to VIVA! offices in December, 2017 to meet a woman named Kirsten Bruce for a job interview, I could never have imagined the journey that was about to begin. Starting in the VIVA! office with no prior communications experience, but a (somewhat over the top) passion for healthcare, made for a…
Wrapping up 2021
As 2021 draws to a close, Team VIVA! reflected on a year that brought not only new challenges, but also many reasons for celebration. Like many across Australia and around the world, the VIVA! team contended with the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, including lockdowns and disruptions to many facets our daily lives. “We are…
Shining a light on men’s mental health this International Men’s Day
Today is International Men’s Day, a day both celebrating the positive male role models in our communities, and also highlighting some of the current health challenges facing men around the world. To celebrate this International Men’s Day, we talked to loving husband, father-to-three and Managing Director and Owner of VIVA!, Paul Jans about some of…
Improving access to cervical cancer screening for Australian women
This week, Health Minister, The Hon Greg Hunt MP, announced Australia will become one of the first countries in the world to offer the “game-changing” self-collect cervical cancer screening test, through the National Cervical Screening Program. From July 1, 2022, all eligible women will be given the option to collect their own sample for their…
Research reveals a 63 per cent increase in eating disorders during last year’s COVID-19 lockdowns
New research recently published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health reveals how the COVID-19 lockdowns have fuelled a rise in the number of our nation’s reported eating disorders (EDs) The annual presentations of people living with an eating disorder (ED) to a specialist paediatric ED service in Melbourne, increased by 63 per cent…
Launch of world-first expert resource to foster best practice osteoporosis care in the Asia Pacific
Expert collaboration key to reducing burden of disease More than 50 per cent of the world’s hip fractures are expected to occur in the Asia Pacific by the year 2050. In a strong effort to stem the tide, and to promote quality care in osteoporosis, the Asia Pacific Consortium on Osteoporosis (APCO) has launched a…