Cancer Council

Over the years, we have partnered with Cancer Council in NSW, VIC and QLD on different projects, all aimed around preventing cancer.

Online vaping cessation service

Cancer Council NSW is developing a new national, online platform that will offer young people information, support and evidence-based services to quit vaping.

The issue

Vaping has dramatically increased in recent years among young Australians, with a growing number of young people experiencing nicotine addiction and seeking support to quit vaping

The evidence for the risks associated with vaping are now clear, including addiction, poisoning, acute nicotine toxicity, lung injury, indoor air pollution and dual use with cigarette smoking, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and lung disorders. Cancer Council's Generation Vape research has found that 1 in 3 teenagers have vaped and 80% found access to vapes easy

Currently there are no support services tailored to young people in Australia to help them quit vaping. The number of young people, parents, education providers, and community youth organisations looking for appropriate information and support for vaping cessation is growing.

The project

Over the coming three years this partnership will address a current public health gap by developing a new national, online platform to help young people aged 14-24 years quit vaping.

Cancer Council NSW aims to reverse the trends in uptake and use of vaping in Australia by scoping, developing and evaluating a national, online platform that will offer young people information, support and evidence-based services to quit vaping.

The platform will also feature tailored information available for parents, carers and health professionals to support young people.

The impact

The platform will have the potential to support population-level changes in reversing trends in uptake and reduce use of tobacco and vaping products in Australia. Its national reach will help prevent vaping uptake and help more young people to stop using vaping products.

Past project

The issue

In Australia, 1 in 3 people who die from alcohol-related causes die from a cancer that can be prevented by reducing alcohol consumption. Research shows, consuming alcohol increases a person’s risk of developing at least seven different types of cancer including mouth, throat, breast, bowel and liver cancers. Yet, a recent survey by Cancer Council NSW showed only 54% of NSW adults are aware that drinking alcohol can increase their risk of cancer.

The project

Cancer Council NSW will launch a social media campaign to raise awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer as well as help to change intentions about reducing alcohol consumption.

The campaign will also direct users to the NSW Drinks Meter app to provide personalised feedback about alcohol use based on advice from doctors. Cancer Council NSW’s Nutrition Unit and Behavioural and Implementation Research and Evaluation Team will then work in collaboration with the NSW Ministry of Health to evaluate the success of the campaign and assess any changes in knowledge and attitudes among NSW residents aged 20-50 years regarding alcohol and cancer.

The impact

Research shows that simply making people aware of cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption is enough to influence their attitudes towards drinking.

By equipping people with the right tools and information to better inform their decision making when it comes to alcohol consumption, Cancer Council NSW hopes to reduce alcohol use and help prevent some of the estimated 6,000 alcohol-related deaths in the country each year.

Rethink Sugary Drink: 'Thirsty Campaign'

The issue

Sugary drinks are the leading source of added sugar in Australians’ diets, with the highest consumers of sugary drinks being young males aged between 14 – 24 years. Young Australians are bombarded with media advertising of sugary drink every day that encourages unhealthy habits and contributes to Australia’s overweight and obesity problem.

Research shows that high levels of sugar consumption has detrimental short and long-term effects on a person’s health and wellbeing, such as diabetes, tooth decay, weight gain and cardiovascular issues – often preventable through maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity.

The project

The ‘Thirsty Campaign’ is an online health promotion campaign targeted at young people (14 – 24) to encourage them to Rethink Sugary Drink. Young people can be less likely to change their behaviour as they feel they are less susceptible to the effects of sugary drinks. This campaign will use impactful marketing strategies that resonate with youth to better educate them on the impacts of high sugar intake.

The impact

The Thirsty Campaign aims to build understanding of the health risks associated with consuming sugary drinks and encourage young Australians to think twice before consuming sugary drinks to ultimately help lower the burden of disease attributable to overweight and obesity.

Cancer Risk Calculator Youth Co-design

The issue

One in three cancer cases are preventable through healthy lifestyle behaviour changes. While cancer prevention programs have helped to improve community knowledge, research demonstrates that young people (18 - 30) have a low understanding of the modifiable risk factors associated with cancer. That is: diet, smoking, exercise, alcohol, sun exposure and more.

The project

Cancer Council Queensland has developed an online and mobile compatible behaviour change tool, The Cancer Risk Calculator (CRC), to empower people to make more informed lifestyle decisions every day that help to prevent cancer.

With our funding support, Cancer Council Queensland will roll out an informative campaign and pilot the CRC with 18-30 year olds living in the Darling Downs and South West Region of Australia – a region that has the highest cancer incidence rate for Queenslander’s between 15 - 39 years of age.

The impact

The CRC has a range of health-related questions associated with modifiable lifestyle factors to calculate how much a person is currently reducing their cancer risk. A scorecard then provides a detailed breakdown of their results, personalised tips, recommendations and resources with the purpose of improving knowledge and influencing behaviour change that could help prevent risk of cancer.