Safety – Amenity – Access – Health

4.6 million reasons Australians should put their feet first Walk To Work Day - Friday 3 October 2008

‘By 2025, approximately 4.6 million Australians are expected to be obese’.¹ People living in rural and remote areas generally have shorter lives.  They also have higher levels of chronic disease compared with their city cousins. Don’t be a statistic!

Get walking on Friday 3 October, which is National Walk to Work Day (WTWD).

WTWD is truly an event for everyone.  Across Australia public and private organisations of all sizes including Esperance Hospital are helping to raise awareness and to encourage their staff to get fit and healthy by walking more regularly.

 Raelene Craft, Director of Nursing at Esperance Hospital said that Walk to Work Day was the perfect opportunity to remind people that every step counts.

“Walking is such a simple activity, yet the majority of Australians and people in rural and remote towns without a range of transport options, don’t do it enough.  This is one of the key reasons over half of our population is currently overweight or obese”

“Of particular concern is that coronary heart disease, asthma, cancer and diabetes are the biggest killers in rural and remote towns across Australia.

“You don’t have to walk all the way to work, just part of it. If you live some distance away then drive to work and park at least one kilometre away and walk the rest or include a walk into your day”.  

WTWD is held annually to remind all Australians regular walking is a great way to avoid obesity and a range of illnesses including high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and arthritis.

The facts speak for themselves.  Access Economics estimates that nationally, productivity losses due to obesity are $3.6 billion and a further $2 billion in health costs per annum, while the combined financial costs of the obesity related ‘big three’ is $19.5 billion dollars per annum. (Diabetes $3 billion; cardio vascular disease $13.1 billion; and cancers $3.4 billion). Meanwhile, 23.8% of Type 2 diabetes and 21.3% of Cardio Vascular Disease is caused by obesity. Obesity and being overweight are also important causes of cancer, particularly cancers of the colon (11%), breast cancer in post-menopausal women (9%), uterus (39%), kidney (25%), oesophagous (37%) and gall bladder (24%)

Walking along with other therapies can also be used to overcome mild to moderate depression which accounts for three to four days off work per month for each person experiencing depression – the equivalent of more than six million working days per year in Australia². Undiagnosed depression costs $4.3 billion dollars in lost productivity annually³.

“WTWD is the perfect time to stop making excuses, to do something good for yourself and develop a new healthy habit of regular physical activity. After all, walking is an easy, enjoyable, safe and sociable method of exercise and makes you feel great. Best of all you can do it any time, any where and it’s free!” Rae said.

Raelene reminds other local residents that every step counts towards better health and cleaner air, no matter where they work or reside. Organisations and individuals can register for Walk to Work Day at www.walk.com.au .   There is no cost to register or participate.